Spring is here! With the change in season, it’s the perfect time for spring cleaning your website. Let’s look at some website housekeeping tasks and improvements that you may have been putting off for a while.

Many times, website spring cleaning posts focus more on the technical side of things. Those types of updates are very important, but today, we are going to focus more on making sure your website still communicates your message and is relevant to your visitors.

Let’s talk about some key areas you can focus on! Before we start, I’ll clarify what I mean by “spring cleaning.”

Everyday Maintenance vs. Spring Cleaning

Some website housekeeping tasks need to be done on a more frequent basis—monthly, weekly, or even daily. Think of these as the everyday cleaning you would do around your house (tidying up, laundry, etc.). These tasks include:

If you find these things are falling through the cracks, one of my website care plans might be just what you need!

For a moment, let’s assume those tasks are happening regularly, as they should be. Beyond everyday maintenance, your website needs some additional TLC every so often, and that’s what we are going to focus on for our spring cleaning conversation.

Getting Started with Website Spring Cleaning

As it is with most things website related, you can stay as shallow or dive in as deep as you want to. I’m about to throw a lot of information your way, but I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed!

I know that some of you will dive in and work you way through this list, implementing each suggestion over time. For some of you, this just isn’t in your wheelhouse. And that is 100% okay!

I’m always here to help implement any of these checkups or fixes on your site if you would like some assistance. Depending on the scope of what needs to be done, a VIP Half Day might be the perfect fit to work through your punch list. If there’s more work to be done, we can look at doing a full VIP Day, too!

Let’s get started!

Home Page Checkup

Does your home page still reflect your current focus? Over time, that focus can change, and you may realize that your home page content is no longer relevant. If your home page doesn’t clearly communicate what you currently offer and give a clear call-to-action, it’s missing the mark.

Possible home page updates might include:

If you realize your content just isn’t doing the job and you are struggling with how to communicate your message, reach out to Cynthia at Gratitude Copy. She is truly a gem!

Overall Content Checkup

Beyond your home page, take a look at the other pages of your site. The most important ones to update are usually your About page, your Services page (if you have one), and your Contact page.

Does your page content feel current? Is the information still relevant and accurate? How can you refine it and make it better? Pay particular attention to the following tasks:

Email Opt-In and Subscriber List Checkup

Are you happy with your current email service provider (ESP)? (I’m talking about providers that manage your email subscriber list, such as Flodesk, Mailchimp, MailerLite, or Kit. This is different than Gmail, Yahoo, etc., which are only for regular email.) If you find you aren’t happy with your current ESP, this could be a good time to consider migrating your subscribers to a new one. Don’t worry, I can do this for you!

Honestly, I pretty much love Flodesk, and my clients who have switched do as well. The other day, I recommended it to a VIP Day client, and within a few hours, she sent me an email with the subject line “I’ve already fallen in love with Flodesk.”

If you are content with your current provider, check to see if your email opt-ins are still working properly. Try going through the subscribe process to make sure you’re happy with the workflow. You may want to consider the following:

If you don’t have an email subscriber list yet, please reach out! I’d love to share more about why this is important.

Design & Theme Checkup

Are you happy with your current design? If it is starting to feel dated or no longer reflects your brand, it is probably time for an update. I usually recommend a redesign every 2-3 years.

What theme is your site using? For 12 years, I built sites exclusively using the Genesis Framework, and it was considered the industry standard. However, a few years ago, I (along with many other designers and developers) switched to using the Kadence Theme. I was disappointed with the lack of continuing development for Genesis and felt that it was time to move to a theme that was keeping up with the advances WordPress is making over time.

Kadence works similarly to Genesis in that it starts out as a blank slate that can be designed to look however you want. There are some really beautiful child themes available. Restored 316 Designs is still my favorite child theme shop (They switched from Genesis to Kadence, too!), and I regularly create custom Kadence designs for my clients as well.

If you are still using a Genesis theme, I encourage you to consider a theme change. While Genesis was an excellent theme from a technical and performance standpoint back in the day, there was a significant learning curve with it. Kadence is far more user friendly! 

With Kadence, you have access to an impressive library of blocks, along with the ability to easily edit your site’s header, footer, fonts, colors, and more. Making design and layout changes over time is far easier and doesn’t require theme coding changes.

In addition, Kadence is fast loading and great for SEO. It is also customized to play nicely with Google’s core web vitals (essential for keeping the search engines happy so that your site is easier to find).

If you’d like to know more about making the switch to Kadence, get in touch!

SEO Checkup

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) often feels like a moving target. It seems like we’re at the mercy of Google and the rest, as they change their algorithms seemingly on a whim. This means that SEO on your website needs to be an ongoing focus. It’s not just about keeping Google happy; it’s about helping people find your website.

I like the Yoast SEO plugin the best, so this is what I typically use on client sites. It has an initial configuration that I always run when I build a site. Beyond that, there are SEO settings for every single page and post on your site that you need to keep current.

As you update your content on each page, you’ll want to make sure you update the SEO as well. This includes:

While these tips barely scratch the surface, the Yoast SEO website provides a wealth of information and tools for better SEO. If you want to do a deeper dive, check out their information on how to do a SEO audit.

Wrapping Up

At the end of the day, your website needs to communicate your message to viewers and clearly direct them towards the action you want them to take. Your site’s content, email opt-ins, SEO, design, and even the functionality of your theme all play a part in making this possible. By taking some time this spring to work on these aspects of your site, you’re creating a more welcoming online home for visitors.

If you want help implementing these kinds of changes on your site, please reach out and let me know what you need! I would love to work with you to better prepare your website for the upcoming season.