Eight Ways to Make Your Website Run More Smoothly

Is your website running as smoothly as it could be? Here are eight important points to check the function and professionalism of your website.

1) Compatible

Is your website compatible with all the major search engines? Test it on as many browsers as you can, and do a check at http://www.browsershots.org to see what it looks like in other browsers and on other operating systems.

2) Complete

Is your website complete? Be sure there aren’t missing pieces or incomplete pages.

3) Clean and Confident

Your design and layout should be “clean” and project a confident voice. Never talk down about your projects or your business. Owning a small business is nothing to be ashamed of! You can offer fantastic products and fabulous service to your customers. Do your absolute best and be confident in that.

4) Focus Drawn Immediately to Product/Services

What do you want your shoppers to see? Should they focus on a crazy, busy background? Only if your background is for sale. Otherwise, you want the shoppers eye to be immediately drawn to the products or services you offer. Make sure your header area and graphics are a reasonable size and load quickly so they don’t take over the focus of the page.

5) Clean HTML Coding

This is important for compatibility, accessibility, and search engine rankings, too. Check your code at http://validator.w3.org and make any necessary updates.

6) Valid Links

Are there any broken links on your website? If so, fix them! Run a free check at http://validator.w3.org/checklink to get started.

7) Quick Download Time

Visitors will not wait long for your page to load. If it doesn’t come up quick, they’ll click away without taking time to browse. Avoid this by being sure that your images are optimized to load quickly and that your code is clean and error-free. Be especially carefully with flash or animated elements.

8) Consistent Brand and Voice

Keep your target market in mind as you write your website and use a consistent voice throughout your website. Also be sure that your branding is consistent throughout the pages of your website, your products, your emails, your sales invoice/packing slips, etc. Match your logo, your fonts, and your style so it's easy for clients and potential clients to identify any piece of your business, marketing, or sales materials.

Michelle Shaeffer is online at The Small Business Muse where she shares free weekly tips and strategies for small businesses in The Muses Brainstorm. Find inspirational guides and workshops to help your small business grow at The Muses Guide.

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