5 quick fixes for your website

Previously I posted about the idea that having a website is not always enough. We talked about how many organizations or businesses are getting onto the web and then neglecting their websites or not hiring a professional to give their website the final touches that can make the difference in the performance and effectiveness of the website. Here I take a look at a local business organization that could look to a peer organization for 5 quick fixes to improve the overall appearance and likely effectiveness of their website.

Camdenton Chamber of Commerce

The Camdenton Chamber of Commerce has some great information on local businesses, local events and how to get connected. There is no doubt the information is on the site. However the design is something that is very unprofessional. For an organization representing the local businesses it is inadequate.

The Camdenton Chamber represents over 450 businesses and organizations in the Lake of the Ozarks area. Shouldn’t this organization be an example of keeping up to date with internet trends?  I would like to challenge the Camdenton Area Chamber to consider updating the appearance of their website to be a leader in the business community.

The Lake of the Ozarks area that the Chamber helps represent, primarily the Camdenton area, represents easily 15,000 residents both inside and outside of the city limits. The official numbers are very misleading due to the many residents living just outside city limits. But we could at least run with 15,000 for this conversation.  During Summer or Hunting season that number likely increases by the thousands.

A side-by-side comparison

So if the Chamber represents businesses in a community this size it should be comparable to other chamber’s around the country. I came across a chamber website in Buffalo, MN. Now the Buffalo Chamber has a wonderful website. While the information provided is no different in nature than what the Camdenton Chamber is offering you can see that the presentation of the content is much easier to follow. Where is your eye drawn? Which website would you prefer to read?

Here are 5 quick fixes the Camdenton Area Chamber can consider after seeing a comparable chamber website in a comparable sized area. Even the logo with the sailboat is similar.

QUICK FIX #1 – Setup each page with Google Analytics

A quick and easy way to start understanding your visitors and their usage of your website is to install the freely available Google Analytics. There are many companies that can help with this or you can do it yourself. If you need help integrating analytics and understanding the data you can work with us at Tonka Park.

Analytics can help you understand which pages are working and which pages aren’t. It can help identify trouble areas or even successes. Having more information about your website will only allow your business to make better decisions about what your next step should be. Read more about analytics here.

QUICK FIX #2 – Make sure all images and links are working

Many sites often have links or images that lead to nowhere or don’t display properly. This shows a lack of preparation and review for your content. Each time you work on your site take a few moments to make sure everything loads properly. It may seem simple but the small things always make the difference.

QUICK FIX #3 – Add a search or sitemap of your content

Many organizations have large amounts of content on their websites and each week it seems to grow. If you are trying to cater to lots of different types of visitors then you will need to provide them a good way to get around your content. Sometimes a menu navigation cannot display all pages of content you have available.  A simple sitemap like the Buffalo Chamber offers or a search box to search the site would be helpful. You want to help your visitors find answers to the questions that brought them to your site. Don’t make them search manually by clicking around, give them an easier way.

QUICK FIX #4 – Setup your site on a CMS

I have no idea how many are running these large websites. But when you start getting into lots of content and weekly or even daily changes you need to move to a CMS solution. A Content Management System, such as WordPress or Joomla, can help you organize your content on the back-end.  A CMS could also address Quick Fix #3 as sitemap and search are usually built-in functionality.

Using a CMS will cut out maintenance time and make it easier to create even more content you were either reluctant to or unable to create under your current one page at a time system. There are open source and commercial solutions here. Professional firms can help you get setup on a blogging solution or a robust CMS to solve your content problems.

QUICK FIX #5 – Get a professionally designed template

The final quick fix could be considered a bit less than quick. Redesigning a website can take weeks or months in some cases. However, if you are happy with your content and simply want to take advantage of a new look a prebuilt template might be just right. There are several commercial sites that sell designer templates for basic websites to complex CMS websites. Now even though the template is prebuilt it will take some skill and expertise to integrate it into your existing site. So this still could be a few days or a couple of weeks to full completion.  But it will be less expensive than having a designer build a fully custom designed website.

I recommend browsing the templates at Themeforest. If you prefer you can contact us over at Tonka Park to help select a template from this affiliate or another you have found. We can then help uplift your current website and content to fit into the new template. We even can help you get up and running on a CMS solution.

For the record, I have not yet joined the Camdenton Chamber but have considered it. Any other members out there?