Checking the Funcitonality of Your Web Pages

http://bit.ly/1cfw4Eg
Having a great looking website is crucial to its success, but so is functionality. It doesn’t matter how eye-popping your graphics are or how creative your message is, if it is all lost with buttons that do not work or servers that drop clients. From the smallest things to the largest problems, every single glitch can affect your business. Get some ideas here on what to look out for, and how to avoid common mistakes.

The first thing to check is the way that potential visitors and clients access your site. You obviously want to be found in search engine results, but you also want visitors to be able to type in your exact address and end up on your pages without complications. Check typing in your domain name with the www in front of it, then also try it without the www. If set up properly, you should be able to pull it up either way. If this does not happen, trouble shoot the problem and fix it immediately.

Choose a web host carefully, making sure that it has higher than average up times. Clients, especially new ones, will only give you one or two chances before they move on to your competitors. It is very likely that you could lose them forever, so this is an important thing to get right. Ask any host you are considering to give you specific data on down times, and what processes they have in place to avoid them. Inquire as well about how they fix problems when they do occur, and whether you are compensated for down times. Remember that lost access to your site is lost business.

Always test new pages and new product areas once you upload them. If you have a shopping cart, order an item to check functionality. Take it all the way through the entire process, to make sure there are no glitches. This includes mobile browsers that are used on smart phones and tablets. View your site in all the main web browsers, and work on getting higher placement through SEO. If necessary, pay someone to help you in this process. Make sure, however, that it is a reputable firm or individual, since you could end up getting banned entirely from a search engine if you abuse the process.

Spend some time each week going through your web pages to check for links that do not work or code that is incompatible. Even if it worked previously, you still need to do routine checks on a regular basis.

Purchase certificates such as SSL in order to make your site more secure. This will help you gain the confidence of your clients and make transactions go more smoothly. Signup for alerts when your certificates are coming close to expiration dates. If you know that you will be using the site for years to come, then sign up for automatic renewals. If you are unsure of how long you want the site to stay active, you can still do this, but keep notes about expiration dates and automatic renewal dates.

Use these insights to ensure that your readers get what they come to you for, which is great content. Get rid of the hindrances and watch your business flourish and grow.

Leave a comment