Improve your website in 5 Minutes a day with these simple updates

Got five minutes to spare? Forget doing an ab workout on whatever the latest As Seen On TV recommendation is. Five minutes is all you need to make some quick updates to improve your Storbie site!

A little bit each day can have a positive impact on the performance of your site, including huge benefits for your SEO (search engine optimisation) and your customer’s experience. Way better results than your ab machine!

Your Storbie site should be thought of as part of the team. Not only can it be a retail outlet, but it’s like a staff member too.

Along with being a place for customers to shop online, your site essentially puts on its uniform and name badge to welcome visitors, provide suggestions, and answer a number of questions.

And as with your human staff members, your website needs a little support and guidance to really make it shine! Just five minutes of attention can make a huge difference.

Consider if you were to include your Storbie website in your staff meetings. You would check in on how it's doing, discuss some products or services to promote, and catch them up on the latest business info. 

In this article we break down how to make the most of your five minutes so that your web-team member works best for you.

Welcome

Your home page is the first page many customers see when they visit your website so it should immediately feel welcoming and encourage customers to explore further. You can think of your home page like your shop window, keep it fresh and current so it is appealing and communicates something new every time a customer visits.

Branding really needs to be on point here and should clearly tell visitors:

• The name of the business
• Who you are
• What you do
• How you’re of benefit to the customer

Images can help to let customers see what your business is about rather than just reading, but your home page also needs to include important keywords to help with SEO.

• Use clear and succinct language (and correct spelling)
• Have a clear call to action for what you want the customer to do
• Remove outdated content in a timely fashion

That last one is especially important. Spend a few moments now to check if your site does all of the above. If not, make the updates and that’s your five minutes for today!

If it’s looking current and informative, let’s look at some other amendments we can make to keep your home page fresh. Your home page shouldn’t just be a static page. Updates further help your SEO and invite regular customers to look out for what’s new.

It takes just five minutes to:

• Refresh banner images – to add variety
• Promote special offers – add information about sales and promotions
• Highlight sponsorships and causes – if you’re attached to an event or are doing some fundraising in a particular month, let visitors know
• Feature menu links – if you’ve got a new page, not only add it to the menu, but create an image that will attract attention and have it link to the page.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

One such page you may want to feature is a Promotions Page, highlighting all the best deals of the week, month, season, or whatever special you want to create, and link to it from the home page as well as adding it to the menu.

You’ll need to ensure you keep it relevant and up to date, so schedule a regular reminder in your calendar to help keep on top of things.

Some ideas on what you might want to promote include:

• Seasonal specials
• Top products of the week/month
• New products
• Last chance to purchase
• Event specials
• Product bundles

Remember, an item doesn’t need to be on sale to be promoted. Simply highlight a range or products with a similar theme, then either use tags to filter them into your specials page or you can also select them one by one.

Regularly swapping out products takes just five minutes and keeps the page fresh!

Share Me

Social media posts are quick and easy to do and help promote your business and products.

Set up a daily schedule to share content from your website to your Facebook or other social platform. Not sure what to post? Some options include:

• New product
• Discounted items
• What’s popular
• Seasonal item or range
• Home page

The key to a good social post is the text that goes with it. Keep on brand but have some fun with it. Say you want to share a sunblock product this summer. You could share a link with a message like:

• Avoid the lobster-look…
• Red is in this summer! Except on your skin…
• Remember your best (pet) friend needs protection from the sun too…
• You can still get burnt on a cloudy/cold day…
• Want to look younger for longer? Sun damage not only can lead to melanoma but also makes your skin look oooooooold (cue scream emoji).

It shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to write a quick quip and add the link. Post a minimum of three times a week, or for a busy social site, aim for three times a day!

All About You

Your About page is a great opportunity to expand on your story and convey why you do what you do, and why your customers should want to buy from you. If your page is looking a little light, you can make small updates over time to fill it out.

The trick is to be succinct in your storytelling, show what’s unique about your business or background, and create a connection at the same time.

It might sound complicated, but it’s simply breaking down a few key points! Remember the Ws and H: Who, What, Where, When, Why, How:

• Who’s behind the business
• What do you do
• Where are you based
• When did you get started
• Why are you unique
• How will you benefit the customer

You may also want to include any plans you have for the future of your company, but remember to keep the customer at the centre of your story.

Along with new text, change out photos to keep the page fresh.

If there’s a lot to do, plan for five minutes a day to chip away at it. Set a timer if you’re worried about spending too long on it in one go. Once you’re happy with it, five minutes is all you need for touch ups.

Message Me

Your Contact Page is far more important than many people give it credit for.

With a website, customers are relying on what they see and read about your business. Your Contact Page gives them the opportunity to reach out to you.

Include an enquiry section so customers can send a message directly to you via the site, but also include your:

• Phone number
• Email address
• Physical address
• Open hours
• Social media links

Even if this information is available elsewhere, customers shouldn’t have to search through your site to find something as simple as how to get in contact with you.

Your Contact Page acts as verification that you’re the real deal and a way to get in touch should they want more information (or if things go wrong).

Take five minutes each month to check the information is still relevant.

Boosted Up the Ranks

By doing a few of the key actions listed above you’re helping your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Putting just a little bit of effort into a regular refresh can help boost your rankings on search engines like Google, where you ideally want to be situated on the first page.

Each of these are simple actions to keep your website current, relevant, and make your site as easy to navigate as possible for customers. Set a reminder in your calendar each day to spend just five minutes on a different area of your site.