The Big Website Spring Clean

Like it or not, following Christmas ‘tis the season for the spring clean and the house proud amongst us wouldn’t dream of entertaining guests when the stately pile isn’t in order.

Naturally, the same logic applies to your website and a spring clean makes for the ideal opportunity to implement conversion rate optimisation.

Marigolds at the ready?

Getting rid of the things that you do not need:

Getting rid of unnecessary clutter means that users can see what’s really important as site visitors shouldn’t have to navigate through redundant features or out-of-date articles to see this season’s best seller.

Just like taking clutter to the charity shop, unwanted goods still have value which is why - when it comes to web - it’s vital to 301 redirect any old pages to avoid losing value accrued over time and subsequently capture traffic that would otherwise be greeted by a 404 error.

Every website - no matter what the service or product - can benefit from improved conversion and businesses needn’t set their expectations at the industry conversion average of 2% - 3% either.

Basket abandonment, in particular, is a big concern for anyone looking to convert more visitors into sales, and with 87% of customers failing to make a payment at the final hurdle, this is certainly a frustrating issue worth addressing during your spring clean.

Industry findings have shown that websites who employed conversion rate optimisation techniques - such as removing unnecessary clutter - saw a drastic improvement of 84% fewer cases of basket abandonment over a 12 month period and subsequently much greater turnover.

Give your website a lick of paint:

Google likes change and so should you.

By regularly refreshing content on landing pages you won’t just be keeping Google coming back for more but your customers too. Giving your website a lick of paint or content refresh can bring a staid design bang up-to-date and - depending on your target market - could encourage consumers to spend more if the design accurately reflects the quality of the product you’re selling or the ethos behind the company. Just make sure it’s something a little more engaging than Nan’s favourite - magnolia.

Frequently updating content can see Google spider a site, on average, four times more often than sites that are left to gather dust which can also help generate positive results for your site's overall SEO footprint.

Moving things about:

When it comes to rearranging furniture, plenty of us test out the best combination of look, feel and layout before opting for the finished result. The same applies to your website in terms of moving things around; perhaps to get more people to sign up to an e-newsletter or follow you on Twitter.

Split A/B testing and visitor feedback are vital elements when you’re working out whether a reshuffle is needed and, if so, what is set to get you the best return. Google Website Optimiser is free and easy to use, making it an ideal starting place when trying to gauge the pros and cons of any proposed change.

Industry research shows that 89% of sites that improved conversion rates via changes to layout noticed a dramatic improvement within 12 months; in some cases, features like e-newsletter sign up increased by 400% thanks to carefully considered site design.

Finished your spring clean? Now all you've got left to do is put your feet up and have a cuppa.