Getting your website up and running feels like a major accomplishment, especially if you’ve created multiple pages with good content for your clients and customers. Once you’ve finished you breathe a sigh of relief and think “There, that’s done.”
But time flies, and if that site has been up more than a few months, it’s time to give it a checkup.Unless you have a trusted assistant, you should do this yourself.
Start by clicking every single link on every single page. Are they all still valid? Do they all go where you want them to go, or would it be better to make some changes?
Next, look at any autoresponder capture boxes you have set up. Use them yourself and see what you get.
Not long ago I spoke with a real estate agent who was planning to attend a wedding event. He was hoping to connect with future brides who would, with their new spouses, be needing new homes. Later I decided to request his information via his website capture box and was startled by what I got in return. It was a message telling me that he’d gotten my name from the wedding event.
He had inadvertently set up his capture box to deliver the same house-hunting information that he was sending to the brides, but had forgotten to go back and change the greeting.
So actually use each of your capture boxes and really look at what you’re sending to prospective customers. This kind of error is easy to make when a project involves several steps – as does setting up an autoresponder.
Once you know all your links and autoresponders are delivering what you want them to deliver, go back and read all of your copy.
Things do change, and you don’t want your copy to look outdated. For instance, if your 2016 copy mentions successes during and before 2012, your readers are going to wonder what you’ve done since then.
Your bio is especially important when it comes to updates. Be sure to go back and add your recent accomplishments – both professional and charitable.
Look at your content pages as well. You know you should be adding to them with regularity, but do you need to change any of them? Be sure any regulations and references to the state of the real estate industry are still current.
And now, one last thing. Take a look at your photograph. Does it really look like you? If you’re in a service business and want people to recognize you, this could be important. So if you’ve changed your hairstyle – or hair color – or if you’ve switched from glasses to contacts, it might be time for a new photo.
