Will my website ever be done?
TL;DR: no.
Look, I know, I know. It's everyone's dream to finally have their website "done." To have this beautiful complete thing you can check off your list and call it a day and move on to the next thing.
But there's a reason this dream feels... so far away. So daunting. So far out of reach. There's a reason that the need to "update my website... again" is such a dreadful feeling.
Your website is never done.
Read that again.
Your website. Is never. Done.
It's not that you are behind, or lacking, or don't know what you're doing. It's that a website's goalpost of "completion" is constantly moving. Your website will never be done, which means you’re always working on it. And always will be.
Love it or hate it, it's true. Even and especially if you hire a professional to "complete" your website... it's going to need updating. Regularly.
Why?
Shit changes!
You change!
Your business changes!
Website laws & rules & regulations & standards change!
And your website will need to reflect these changes at some point. If you've got a web design partner they'll actively be on you to keep it updated. But if you're doing it yourself (DIY) then you're probably in there updating it all the time anyway or actively ignoring it. But the task remains.
How do you keep yourself from constantly tweaking your website?
Ask yourself one very important question: “What does this do to my bottom line?”
That's the secret to knowing when you need to actually update your website. An experienced web design partner will be able to help you out here.
When you log in to your site editor and want to make changes, consider: will this make me more money or save me time? Or will it cost me both?
If it doesn’t move your business forward, save you time or make you money, don’t mess with it.
Simple, right?
Not really, because… what actually qualifies as an update that moves you forward or brings in revenue or saves you time?
12+ website tweaks that I recommend you do at any time
- Make sure your website covers the basics about you, your offer, your audience
- Pick a post and update the technical search engine optimization (SEO) details: update the title, meta description, headings, and link text (no "click here" links, please)
- Limit the number of things someone can do on any given page. A focused customer is a paying customer
- Add analytics to your site so you get data about all those blog posts you’re writing. I love Fathom (affiliate link–tell them The Fiery Well sent you and save $10)
- Connect your site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools so you can see what keywords are bringing people to your website
- Update, clarify and simplify existing FAQs. On that page, people want quick answers, not essays
- Add a Privacy Policy. One, it’s (in most places) the law. Two, it makes you look legit in the eyes of your customers. I love Termageddon (affiliate) because they tell me when I need to update my privacy policy and I don’t spend time wondering and questioning and updating unnecessarily
- Add blog posts that highlight your authority in your niche and save you time in the long run: answer questions (this is where you can expand those FAQs into essays), provide value (and share it), and share your expertise
- Update your theme so it’s more accessible. Larger fonts, better contrast of colors, underline all links, make sure no links say "click here", check that the navigation works with a keyboard only, etc.
- Update your content so it’s more legible: align it left, break it up with headings and bullet points
- Add appropriate alt-text to your images or consider getting rid of the images
- Update old posts by linking to new ones; link the new ones to old ones
- Check your analytics and make educated, measurable changes to your copy and design as necessary. This requires going slow and making very few changes at any given time.
Embrace the fact that your website will never be done. It's a living testament to the work you are doing. It needs permission to evolve with you and your business.
Slow, measured steps to improve your website will take you further than constant switching around of templates, colors, themes, fonts, and “branding.”
Progress over perfection.