Website Design Spring Cleaning
A 30-minute checklist to keep your website running smoothly.
We spend so much time building and designing our website, that often times we forget to clean it up. Even as a website designer and mom, I tend to put this task on the back burner. However, it doesn’t take as long as one would think.
A neglected website can actually hurt your professional credibility. Broken links, outdated "Copyright 2023" footers, and old branding photos tell a potential client that you might be too busy (or too unorganized) to handle their project.
Okay, let’s get to the good stuff. Set a timer for 30 minutes, grab a coffee, and run through this digital spring cleaning checklist with me.
Pexels
1. "First Impression" Audit (5 Minutes)
Open your website in an Incognito/Private window. Look at your homepage as if you’ve never seen it before.
Is your main headline still accurate? Does it clearly state who you help?
For Example - If you’ve pivoted your services make sure that change is front and center. For example, if you have gone from a Virtual Assistant to a Social Media Manager, be sure to update that in your header.
2. Check Links & Forms (10 Minutes)
This is one of the most critical steps in your clean-up. There is nothing worse than a dream client filling out your contact form only for it to disappear into a digital black hole.
Click every button on your home page. Do they go where they’re supposed to?
For Example - Send a test inquiry through your own contact form. Check your inbox (and your spam folder!) to ensure the notification arrives instantly.
3. Review Footer (2 Minutes)
It’s such a small detail, but an outdated copyright year is a dead giveaway of an abandoned site. Sometimes it makes me wonder if the business is still active.
Scroll down to the bottom of your website, and look at the Footer information.
What to Fix - Update it to the current year. Then check your social icons, do they still link to your current social media platforms? Update any new contact information.
4. Portfolio & Testimonial Updates (8 Minutes)
Make sure your most recent work is shown on your site.
Review featured projects and testimonials. Are they current?
Replace at least one previous portfolio and/or testimonial with a current piece. Fresh social proof is marketing gold.
5. Mobile Review (5 Minutes)
Pull up your site on your phone. Scroll through the main pages.
Is the layout set up correctly? Do images load quickly? Is the text easy to read without zooming in?
If the layout looks wonky, update the layout in mobile format. If a page feels sluggish, it’s usually a massive image file. Make a note of which page/image so you can resize after your review. If the text is hard to read, update the font sizing in mobile format.
Final Thought
Your website is working for you 24/7, 365 days a year. It does not always need to be perfect, but it does showcase your business, and doing this clean-up a couples times a year (or once per quarter) will help you ensure it is always ready to welcome your next opportunity.
Website Design Resources to Check Out
Branding Toolkit: 25 color palettes with font pairings and logo suggestions. Choose & launch.
Squarespace Playbook: 44-page digital download with steps to launch your Squarespace Website.
Big Cat Creative’s Squarespace Website Templates: Customize a template to launch faster!
Pinterest Wealth Academy: Learn how to market your business through Pinterest, rather than always feeling “On” through Social Media.
From My Home to Yours
You can always keep up with the products I’m bringing into our home. I have an Amazon Storefront of all the things by category, to keep my favorite items organized for you. Feel free to browse around, and see if there is anything you might find useful in your own home. I do make a small commission from purchases at no cost to you (affiliate disclaimer).
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