As a building professional, your website is probably one of the last things on your mind. But did you know that conducting a regular website health checkup is essential to not only keeping your site running smoothly, but to ensuring it’s searchable? Luckily, there are a series of simple steps you can take to maintain a healthy website for your small business.
What Steps Should You Take During a Website Audit?
Best practice is to conduct a website health checkup every three to six months. Here are a few key things to focus on:
- Identify and Fix Broken Links: Go through the pages on your site to ensure all links work properly. Broken links can frustrate visitors and hurt your site’s search engine ranking. If you find broken links, update them or remove them. Tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider can save you a lot of time by scanning your site for broken links and other common problems. The free version is often sufficient for small websites.
- Keep Your Content Updated: Ensure all the information on your site—such as contact details, services and pricing—is accurate and up to date. This builds trust with potential customers and ensures they can easily reach you. If something is out of date, make the necessary updates.
- Optimize Your Website for Mobile Devices: Check how your website looks and functions on mobile devices. Many customers will visit your site from their phones, so it’s important that it looks good and is easy to navigate. If you notice problems, it’s important to talk with your web person/vendor about updating your website to use mobile-optimized responsive templates.
- Conduct an SEO Tune-Up: We covered SEO tips in a previous blog post, but a quick refresher can’t hurt. Make sure each page includes relevant keywords in your page titles, meta descriptions and content. This helps search engines like Google understand what your page is about and can boost your search rankings.
Another helpful tool is Google Search Console, which helps you monitor your site’s performance in Google search results. It can also alert you to any issues like broken links or crawling errors.
Additional SEO Strategies for Your Website Audit:
- Try turning your subheadings into questions related to your services. For example, instead of “Pricing” use “How much does a new roof cost in Baltimore?” Then, answer the question in the following sentence and provide more details in the paragraph below. This approach can improve your website’s visibility. Need more question inspiration? Check out the “People also ask” section related to a relative keyword search in Google for ideas.
- With the rise of AI search results, content quality is more important than ever. Google’s E-E-A-T framework—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness—is crucial for determining how valuable your content is. Creating high-quality content that demonstrates your industry knowledge can help ensure your website stands out and is a reliable source for AI tools in the future. For instance, focus on sharing your real-world experience, showcasing your team’s expertise through credentials or certifications, building authority through backlinks and industry recognition, and fostering trust by being transparent and honest. Highlight your years in the contracting business, include employee bios with qualifications and earn trust by sharing customer testimonials.
What Additional Actions Can Improve Your Website’s Health and Performance?
In addition to the health check, here are a few ongoing tasks:
- Regularly Update Your Blog or News Section: If you have a blog or news section, posting regularly (even once a month) keeps your site fresh and shows customers that you’re active and engaged. If you don’t have time, consider writing short updates or hiring someone to help.
A helpful tip: Type in keywords in which you’d like to rank, see the top organic results (i.e., not ads or directory sites) and take a look at their content. Determine what they’re doing right for those specific articles and try to recreate that magic on your own site. (Don’t forget the E-E-A-T framework defined above!)
- Ensure Your Google Business Listing Is Accurate and Optimized: Make sure your Google My Business listing is accurate, including your business hours, location and contact information. If you need to update it, log into your Google My Business account and make the necessary changes. This is crucial for local search visibility and helps customers find you easily.
To check your listing, open your web browser and go to business.google.com. This is the main site for managing your GMB account. Sign in. Explore and update your information. If you haven’t verified your business yet, follow the prompts to do so. Google will send a postcard with a verification code to your business address. Enter this code in your GMB account to verify ownership.
- Leverage Customer Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on Google and other platforms. You can start by asking recent happy clients directly, or include a request for reviews in your follow-up emails. Positive reviews can boost your search rankings and help build trust with potential clients.
How Can You Use Competitor Insights to Improve Your Content?
During your website health checkup, don’t just focus on your own website; take some time to see what your local competitors are doing online. This can give you valuable insights and help you stay ahead of the game. Here’s what to look for:
- How Does Competitor Website Design Influence User Experience? Compare their design with yours. Is their site more modern or easier to navigate? Take note of features you like that could improve your own site’s user experience.
- What Types of Content and Services Are Your Competitors Offering? See what kind of content they’re providing. Do they have a blog, detailed service pages or customer testimonials? Make sure your content is just as robust, if not better.
- Which SEO Keywords Are Your Competitors Ranking For? Look at the keywords they’re targeting. Are they ranking higher in search results for certain services or locations? Consider adjusting your own SEO strategy to compete more effectively.
- What Special Features Are Competitors Using to Engage Customers? Do they offer online quotes, booking tools or chat features? These can be powerful additions to your site if they make sense for your business.
Why Regular Website Maintenance Is Key to Long-Term Success
Your website doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does need to be functional, accurate and a true reflection of your business. Set aside a little time each quarter to review and update it, or delegate the task to a reliable staff member. Remember, your website is often your first handshake with a potential client—make sure it’s a strong one!
By regularly checking your site and comparing it with others in your area, you can ensure that you’re always offering potential customers the best online experience and staying a step ahead of the competition.
Want more business tips? Subscribe to our newsletter.