Right now, it probably feels almost impossible to keep track of everything. Sometimes you might even forget what day it is. (Okay, we’re guilty of that, too). However, we have something that should be at the top of every small business’s priority list. Make sure that everything on your website is up to date and leads to the correct destination. A website that leads to the wrong place, or no place at all, is called a “broken link.” While browsing local websites lately in an effort to support local businesses in our area, we noticed that when we went to follow their social media, it turned out that their links didn’t lead to the correct social profiles.

Do a quick check for broken links.

Take a few minutes and pretend you are an interested and potential client scoping out all your biz has to offer. Then, go through anywhere on your page that leads to another page, an Instagram profile, Facebook post, or Pinterest pin and make sure you actually end up where you want to be. If you find that you are even more lost than when you started, it is probably a good idea to make some changes. Trust us, your potential clients will thank you!

For a quick review…check out this free tool we use!

Broken links can be harmful for several reasons. They negatively impact your SEO efforts and frustrate users who engage with your website. Google Analytics is a great tool for finding broken links throughout your page. It also tracks and reports website traffic, which can be super useful when figuring out how much your business has been explored and the number of impressions it currently has. (Interested in learning more about Google Analytics? Let us know!) Creating a spreadsheet once you determine where your broken links are can help with remembering where work needs to be done if you can’t do it right away, or if you need help.

Finally, make sure to look back through your data and figure out which links should be redirected. Broken links with more engagement require an immediate fix. That means a lot of people clicked on something expecting to be taken to another site or page but an error message appeared to indicate that something was wrong. By repairing your site’s broken links, you will save both you and your business from a lot of confused and disappointed customers.

Break up your text with visuals (on your website and on social).

Speaking of social media, wanna know how you can step up your game and stand out against competitors? One of the most important aspects to include on your profile and website are visuals. People love to see eye-catching content and appealing graphics instead of just big blocks of text. Unfortunately as a society, we now have shorter attention spans and become distracted much quicker than we did during the pre-technology era. So to make sure your audience doesn’t become focused on something else when checking out your content, make sure to include photos, videos, or even memes to keep it engaging. 

Find ways to showcase your expertise.

Another tip is to promote, promote, promote. Don’t be afraid to showcase all of the unique products or services you have to offer! You’ve worked hard to be where you are today, and your target audience will recognize your efforts. Creating a blog, knowing your demographic, and following others on social media are all great ways to promote your biz. If you know you’re going to be completely swamped between social media and your biz, get some help! Maybe look into speaking with a social media manager to keep everything running smoothly. Hiring someone that knows how to manage the business side of your profiles could really help you out in the long run. Developing a content calendar should be one of the first steps to keep things planned and prioritized. (Hint, you can get our content calendar for free when you sign up for our weekly newsletter).

We hope you gained some helpful insights into how you can better your websites or social media. we would love to hear any feedback if you try out any of our suggestions! Stay tuned for even more useful tips and tricks next week and stay healthy!

P.S. Want a FREE website audit? Reach out to us and mention this blog post!