Website Checklist
Is your website failing your company because of simple errors?
If you have any negative answers please contact us to discuss the options.
1) Do all your web pages have descriptive titles (shown in the very top bar of the page)?
Titles are one of the main elements that ensure you page is listed correctly on search engines. Bad or non-existent titles mean poor listings on Google.
2) Do your pages have Search Engine/Human Friendly addresses?
Have a look at a page deep within your site and look at the web address (or "URL"), this is friendly: www.acme.co.uk/about-us. This isn't: www.acme.co.uk/section.asp?section=21§ionTitle=About+Us . Are yours?
Search Engine Friendly addresses (or "pretty URLs") make it easier for Google to categorise websites into sections and they also helps users see where they within a site.
3) Do all the website links on your site work?
Go to http://validator.w3.org/checklink and enter your website address (URL). This free site checks to see if all the links on your site work. All working?
Apart from being annoying, links that don't work are a sign that your site has not been fully checked, this gives the impression that your company does not pay attention to detail.
4) Is the styling and code behind the website written well?
One piece of code you can check is the style sheet code, go to http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ and enter your URL. If everything is ok you should see " Congratulations! No Error Found", do you?
Well written code improves the loading time of your site and shows that care has been taken to ensure that it works well. Incorrect code can hinder your search engine listing too.
5) Is the spelling and grammar correct on your site? All of it?
Double check your pages, choose a couple at random then copy and paste them into a Word document to see the spelling mistakes highlighted. All correct?
It seems obvious but bad spelling, punctuation and grammar give off an unprofessional feel about your company.
6) Does your site work in browsers other than Internet Explorer?
Go to http://browsershots.org and enter your website address. The main browsers are Internet Explorer (IE) 6, 7 and 8, FireFox 3, Safari and Chrome. How does your site look?
About 40% of users do not use Internet Explorer and it is common for websites to not appear correctly to them, a bad looking website gives a bad impression.
7) Do you have permission to use all the images on your site?
You cannot simply borrow images from other sites without permission. Big image libraries such as Getty and Corbis employ people to search the internet for unlawful use of their images and fine companies who breach their copyright.
8) Do users know where your company is based?
Are all your contact details, including your postal address, easy to find on your website?
People do not trust companies who do not give out their address on a website or make it hard for them to find out where they are based. It means they have something to hide.
9a) When you search for your company name on Google, are you near the top of the results list?
You really should be unless there's a good reason. If you're not let us know and we can help.
9b) If yes, does the information that appears about your company make sense?
Does it sell your company to the viewer?
Getting to the top of the results list in Google is not the only answer to getting visitors to your site. You have 62 and 156 characters to write a decent title and description to entice people to
10) Finally, do you honestly like your website? Look at it and ask yourself "Do I really like it?"
Maybe you love and it and it's doing its job and helping to make your company successful, but maybe not. Maybe you think it's not really giving across the right message about your company. Perhaps it's a little dated or perhaps there's something not quite right with it. If you think it needs some work then it probably does.
Would you like us to run the checks for you for free?
Simply fill in the form and we'll get back to you with a report on your website.
At Fresh Pies we enjoy creating websites that work well for our clients and by paying attention to the details we ensure that our work has a professional finish. Our services include:
Website design
Search Engine Optimisation
Content Management Systems
Ecommerce
Hosting and email
Email campaigns
Domain name registration
Accessibility
We hope you found this checklist of interest and if you would like to know more or discuss any requirements you might have, please contact us on 0845 313 6220
