www is 25 years' old but how aged are many websites looking?
Is your website working with or against you?
I’m struggling with the reality that I really am old enough to remember living and working pre-internet days but there, I just need to get over it.
Having just read a piece, courtesy of the www.theguardian.com/travel on how the web has revolutionised the travel experience, I also started thinking about just how well many smaller destination/travel businesses are using the internet as a tool for engaging with their audiences.
Time and again, I’ve come across websites in both a personal and business capacity that are difficult to navigate, are still showing an out-of-date tariff, or that are not making best use of the visual ‘pulling power’ of the internet.
Now, I know mine isn’t perfect – I’ve already given myself a strict ‘talking to’ as I’ve fallen into the trap of placing client work first (quite rightly) but leaving my own website wallowing in the depths.
Here, though are a few commonplace ‘let downs’ that mean your website isn’t working hard enough for you.
- Mobile-optimized
More than half the population now accesses the internet via their phone or tablet and yet there are numerous websites that still struggle to be viewed when you’re on the go.
- Use of photos/videos
Particularly if you’re in the business of promoting accommodation, an attraction, venue or eatery, images sell.
How long has that image of a plate of food been up there? Is it looking more Galloping Gourmet (for those who can remember that far back) than Gordon Ramsay?
People are drawn to fantastic images, so take a long hard look and see if you’re photos really reflect what you’re promoting. If not, get news ones taken by a professional photographer.
- Updated/fresh material
It’s really annoying when you click on an accommodation website you like, only to find that the tariff is two years’ out of date.
More importantly though, a static website where the content isn’t refreshed regularly isn’t going to do you any favours when people are searching online as your site is more likely to drop off the search engines’ radar.
How frequent are your blog posts? Is your blog becoming a dumping ground for any old news rather than being used strategically to help draw visitors to your site?
- Social media integration
Ok, you’re likely to be on twitter and facebook, but are you using them strategically to help drive traffic back to your site?
Going back to photos, image search is now much more mainstream among consumers and the search engines are becoming more savvy when it comes to responding to requests.
Therefore besides having cracking up-to-date photos on your site, why not look at other photo sharing sites such as pinterest and snapchat?
