The updates you could make to your brand website run the gamut from design to development to content, and it can feel overwhelming to decide what to prioritize for maximum impact. As a team that lives and breathes website creation, maintenance and support, we have a few ideas. See what our team of experts recommends below.
Continually audit your website from different perspectives
Olivia Young, Account Manager
Maintaining a website is like maintaining a relationship – it takes work. Of course you have to meet basic expectations, like updating images and copy on your site occasionally, or remembering your anniversary. But neither one will survive on autopilot. Open communication, forward-thinking, and actively solving problems together will keep things spicy.
Run regular audits on your site from different perspectives – creative, performance, SEO, accessibility. Don’t let things get stale or outdated. Based on your findings, take action, whether it’s adding fresh content for visitors, selecting a new plugin to increase site performance or switching out the design of your CTA buttons.
Optimize load speed
Diana Martinez, Director of Experiences
Show your website some love by optimizing its load speed. Why? A faster website doesn’t just make Google happy; it makes your users feel valued. No one likes waiting for pages to load, especially when they’re trying to find solutions quickly. This is where a need for a speedy website comes in.
Compress images, minimize code, and check for slow-loading elements to ensure your site delivers a seamless experience. Loving your website means making every visit a joy for your users!
Make your footer work for you
Jesse McCabe, CEO
So many websites do the typical copyright, date, contact, social media logos… but, the footer is a great way to direct people who couldn’t find what they were looking for and got to the bottom of the page. It’s also great for SEO; many savvy website optimizers know this is where you can add links to SEO-friendly pages using keywords that are relevant to what you want to be found for.
Because the footer appears on every single page of your website, it’s an indication to search engines that pages linked here are important. To decide what to add here, think about pages you’d like to promote further for better search rankings. Whether that means top solutions pages, most important local or geo-targeted pages or important resources, work with your designer to set the footer up in an organized, uncluttered way, utililizing headings and contextual links and help your users and the search engines discover your most important content.
Use WebP for better image optimization
Miguel Seclen Benites, Web Designer
Having high quality imagery is key in keeping your website well maintained. By using image formats like WebP by Google, you can continually show your website love. WebP is open source and widely supported making it easily accessible for any dev or design team.
A more advanced compression method translates to sharper images and smaller file sizes, and that means you can keep your site looking fresher and running faster. It’s also a way to show your visitors love, giving them a better visual experience and avoid bogging them down unnecessarily with large slow-loading images. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Showcase your brand personality (and attract the right audience)
Derek Lauritzen, VP + Creative Director
Putting your company’s personality out there and showing your true self can feel risky! You might worry about turning off potential customers. But here’s the thing: it’s better to attract the right customers and repel the wrong ones. Trying to please everyone pleases no one, especially your ideal customer.
- Use authentic imagery and design. Skip the generic stock photos and show off your team, your workspace, your culture. Let people see the real you. And don’t be afraid to use color strategically. A more playful brand shouldn’t be afraid of a vibrant palette.
- Define your voice and tone—are you witty, warm, or authoritative? Let that show in your website copy. Use language that reflects how you actually talk.
To do this, you must have a strong understanding of your brand. Tools like Google’s brand sprint personality slider can help you define it. Once you know who you are, own it! This is how you stand out, connect with your ideal clients, and build a brand people respect
Use a website maintenance checklist
Peter Ajtai, Director of Technology
If you don’t already havey our own list, follow our website maintenance checklist! Show love by taking care of your website. There are items I recommend doing weekly, monthly and quarterly to keep your site’s performance at its peak. Our checklist is meant to help you keep up so that you don’t have any unpleasant or costly surprises.
Looking for help with any of the above or some additional honest guidance? Reach out!
