As a web developer, I perform website reviews for clients and potential clients. I give my opinion on site design, functionality, traffic, mobile responsiveness, ability to address visitor needs, and effectiveness as part of the overall marketing plan. And because I’m a writer, I notice your typos.
The sites I design are mid-range on the budget spectrum. They are aesthetically pleasing customized WordPress sites. I’ve done sites for manufactures, B2B services, hospitality, nonprofits, and contractors. I don’t do the low-end sites (my-sister’s-cousin’s-boyfriend-who-is-going-to-school-and-needs-to-design-a-website-as-part-of-a-class-project). I don’t do finance, health, or extensive ecommerce. If you require tight security for your members, extensive forums, or multiple layers of login and permissions, that’s beyond my proficiencies.
I was excited to judge a website competition and look at websites from a new perspective.
*To respect the privacy of the organization running the contest as well as the contestants, please understand if I leave out identifiers.
Budget
Do you get what you pay for? Sites in the competition ranged in budget from $4,000 to $200,000. The top five websites comprised of two low-budget, two high-budget, and one mid-range.
My recommendation would be to skip the low end web developers and aim for middle unless you have special needs (security, ecommerce, etc.).
Design and Graphics
The design and graphics of the entire category were very good to excellent. All were mobile responsive. Some featured subtle video in their hero image. Some had rotating slider hero images. Nearly all grasped the overall brand image and conveyed it well.
An element of design that resonated with me was the use of icons on a homepage. Each tied to one of the top three or four reasons visitors would be on the site. The icon, paired with a few keywords, quickly funnels visitors to the right page of the site.
High-quality pictures of people that visitors can identify with build rapport. One website had next to zero pictures and came across as very cold and sterile.
Does your website suit your industry and your organization? One very modern, appealing, and fast loading site missed the mark. Their new site was gorgeous but didn’t match their brand. Don’t make this mistake! Utilize a designer who understands the meaning of shapes and color in branding.
Writing
One of my favorite sites visually had very poor written content. If your budget allows, hire a copywriter. Even lower budget sites can have exceptional aesthetic qualities today, so content is more important than ever. Finding a writer who understands grammar and spelling is easy. Find one who also has marketing knowledge that will help the site convert. This will pay for itself!
The About Us page of the website is of high importance; it often ranks right after the home and contact pages. People want to know your story, who you represent, and what you value. A well crafted About Us page builds the relationships that lead to sales.
Good writing for the web means lots of white space. Short sentences and short paragraphs with frequent subheadings make reading on the web more enjoyable.
If you have brochures, news releases, or other documents on your site that you’d like to share shy away from PDFs. Visitors don’t like the idea of having to download your content. Mobile users might not have the required software. If possible, copy the content into a blog post.
Technical
Many of the sites could’ve been faster. This isn’t always easy, but I find myself regularly working on site compression, page requests, and render blocking. I was surprised by high budget sites that weren’t lightning fast!
Check your site’s security settings. Browsers are expecting SSL certificates more now than ever. Check for 404 errors and improper redirects.
Search Engine Optimization
Disclaimer: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a moving target which requires a dedicated SEO expert to provide specific and accurate info.
There are a few perennials you can consider. How many backlinks a site has will speak volumes about its reputation. The loading speed can impact SEO. The site URL should be short, intuitive, easy to spell, and memorable.
There are limits to what you can find out about a site that you don’t own, but there are tools to check a few of the basic elements that contribute to a site’s rank and reputation. Hubspot’s Website Grader is an easy to use free tool. UpCity provides a free SEO Report Card.
Are you curious about your website’s rank and performance? Wondering if you need to rewrite your content? Ask Terra for a complimentary website review*.
Call 715-584-6773 or email terra@fletcherconsulting.com.
*Some restrictions apply.