The doctor will see you now

In January, many of us take a look in the mirror and decide we’re going to look after ourselves better. Why should our websites be any different? When you take a look at it, is it fighting fit, or wheezing on the ropes?

You probably saw increased conversion rates in December, and a drop off this month. Shoppers are often desperate to buy for Christmas, but it can take a lot of persuasion to close a sale in the new year, after the Christmas budget’s been blown. To start the new year positively, you’ll need a website that inspires confidence, sells effectively and is easy to use.

Our health checklist will help ensure your website is ready to face the challenges ahead:

• Don’t overstretch: Identify when your traffic is at its lowest and plan maintenance for then. Don’t take on more than you’re sure you can achieve. Unplanned downtime can be more damaging than no maintenance.
• Update: Clean out old offers and bin the Christmas garlands. The 12 days of Christmas don’t count online – anything that expired yesterday looks messy. Get the year right in your dates too.
• Freshen up the offer: Use analytics to find out what has been working and what has failed. Don’t keep flogging a dead horse, unless you’re selling dog food.
• Follow up with Christmas customers: Use a satisfaction survey or special offer to help build a relationship from one-off Christmas purchases. Show customers you’re listening and they’ll tell you honestly how good you are.
• Fight the flab: look out for anything that might be weighing your pages down, and seek ways to make processes more efficient. The quicker and easier your site is to use, the more business it will generate.
• Set new objectives: use your experience from last year to set new targets for the year ahead that are measurable and realistic. Use web metrics and usability testing to ensure you’re meeting your key performance indicators (well, we would say that!).
• Reconsider your cross-channel strategy: Don’t assume that things are better online or offline just because it’s cheaper or you’ve always done it that way. The widespread adoption of broadband and developments in mobile are making many new experiences viable across different devices. An example of how one channel thinking can be damaging is the increasing reliance on online technical support, at the expense of more direct routes. I’ll wager many a Christmas holiday was spoiled because of a lack of up-to-date drivers!