7 Tips to Spring Clean Your Website
Spring is in the air! While you’re busy airing out the house and swapping your heavy coats for denim jackets, it’s the perfect time to give your digital home a little TLC, too.
Think of your website as your virtual storefront. If there are "cobwebs" in the corners (like broken links or old photos), it might be sending the wrong vibe to your clients. Let’s get your site tidied up with these 7 easy tips!
1. Check the Basics (The "Wait, Are They Open?" Check)
There is nothing more frustrating for a customer than showing up at a shop only to find it closed because the hours online were wrong.
The Fix: Double-check your contact page and footer. Are your hours current? Is that old "Holiday Hours" banner finally gone? Ensure your phone number and email are linked so people can reach you in one click.
2. Who’s on your Team?
We’ve all seen the "Meet the Team" pages where half the people have moved on to new adventures, or the new superstar hire is nowhere to be found.
The Fix: Update your staff bios and photos. If you’ve grown, add those fresh faces! If it’s just you, maybe it’s time for a new headshot that isn’t a cropped photo from a wedding three years ago.
3. Audit Your Offerings
Your business evolves, and your website should too! If you stopped offering "Hand-Painted Birdhouses" six months ago, but it’s still on your services page, you’re going to have some awkward conversations.
The Fix: Go through your products or services. Delete what’s retired and make sure your new favorites are front and center.
4. Test Your Links (The "Broken Bridge" Test)
Ever clicked a button only to land on a "404 Error" page? Links can "break" over time if you’ve changed page names or if external sites you link to have gone dark.
The Fix: Spend 15 minutes clicking through your main menu, social media icons, and buttons. If a link goes nowhere, fix it or nix it!
5. Refresh Your Imagery
Stock photos from 2018 feel a little... dusty.
The Fix: Swap out a few old banners for fresh, bright imagery. Even changing your main "Hero" image on the homepage can make the whole site feel brand new without a full redesign.
6. Declutter Your Sidebar & Footer
We tend to cram everything into the footer like it’s a junk drawer.
The Fix: Look at your sidebar and footer. Are you still displaying a badge for an award from 2016? Is there a "Latest News" section where the last post is from three years ago? If it’s not serving you, let it go.
7. Speed It Up
A slow website is like a slow line at the coffee shop—eventually, people just leave.
The Fix: Large image files are usually the culprit. Use a free online tool to compress your photos so they look great but load lightning-fast. Your visitors’ patience will thank you!
Pro Tip: Set a recurring "date" on your calendar every six months to do a quick 20-minute sweep. It’s much easier to maintain your site in little bursts than to wait until it needs a total overhaul!
Happy cleaning! Which of these are you tackling first?
