Here is a website checklist:
Objectives
* What is the primary objective for your website?
For example:
A. Brand awareness?
B. Credibility?
C. Customer engagement?
D. Sales enquiries?
E. Sales?
Market segments
* What is the primary target market segment for your website?
* Are there secondary target markets?
Structure
* Is the navigation bar logical?
* Is the navigation bar easy to understand?
Design
* Does the design look professional?
* Do the colours work well together?
* Is the same font used throughout the site?
* Does the design get in the way of understanding?
Branding
* Is there a consistent visual brand identity?
* Is your logo positioned in the upper left-hand corner of your homepage (and, ideally, every page)?
* Is there a favicon image?
SEO
* Do you have a keywords list?
* Are you using Title Tags?
* Do you have an in-bound link building strategy?
* Are you using anchor text links?
* Is there a Sitemap link in the footer area?
First-time website visitors
* Top of the homepage: is it clear what you do?
User experience
* Does the site load quickly? (Ideally, in less than 3 seconds?)
* Is it easy for users to find what they are looking for?
* Is it easy for users to find their way around?
Interactivity
* Unlike brochures, websites can be interactive. How interactive is your site?
* How many interactive features are there?
* Is there a search field?
Content management
* If you are using a CMS (Content Management System), such as WordPress, do you understand how to use it properly?
Content strategy
* What is your content strategy?
* What is the primary topic for your content?
* Do you use images in a consistent way?
* Are your images optimised for download speed?
Blogging
* How often do you blog within your website?
* What is your target word count per blog?
Web copywriting
* Are you using a consistent style?
* Is the copy engaging?
* Is the copy grammatically correct?
* Do you proofread all of your webcopy?
Legalities
* Are you displaying your Privacy and Cookies policies?
* Are you complying with GDPR / other relevant laws?
Newsletter
* Is there newsletter signup form?
Social media
* Are there easy to find social media follow icons?
Contact
* Is it easy to find contact details?
* Are there a variety of ways of getting in touch?
Calls to action
* Are there calls to action throughout the site?
Website testing
* Have you tested your website using different website browsers, computers and smartphones in order to make sure that everything works properly?
Backup
* Is a website backup being taken regularly?
Security
* Have you installed an SSL Certificate?
* Are you protecting the login process?
* Are you protecting your website from spam, i.e. spam comments?
Measurement
* Have you installed the Google Analytics (or other stats service) code within every page of your website?
* Do you know the number of Unique visitors within a given time frame (i.e. daily, weekly, monthly)?
* What is your website bounce rate?
* Which are the most popular pages?
* How many sales enquiries / sales are directly attributable to your website each month?
Nigel Temple is a digital marketing consultant and trainer.