Before we get into today’s post we want to address a phishing scam that was sent to a lot of our current and past website clients earlier this week. We were able to notify everyone and while some people had responded to the email (they were convincing in their impersonation of us) no one was at the stage where they had handed over personal information or their website login details.
A few clients emailed us when they received the email and it didn’t sound quite like us, the sending email address felt off, and the branding was close but not quite us either. This is a great reminder that if something feels off, it is always better to trust your gut. And, investigate!
It’s also a great reminder to think about your digital spring cleaning. Look for easy ways to ensure your website is as secure as possible. Is your password secure (a long combination of letters, numbers and symbols that is hard to guess)? Have you upgraded your website’s content management system and plugins lately? (often there are security related fixes in updates that can help optimize security) When you have invested a lot of time, effort, and money into your website, you want to make sure things stay secure, so that your website can continue to work for you, and not end up in the hands of scammers.
Your website isn’t a set it and forget it piece of your marketing. If you want your website to work for you over time, it is important to check in and make sure everything is up to date. Add your website to your spring cleaning to do list. This is a great time to do a quick check in and make sure things are running well in Q2. So that when summer comes, you are ready to take time off while your website steps up for you.
Here are a few easy things that can instantly make your website feel more up to date.
Ask yourself:
- Is the copyright footer year up to date?
- Do all your links and forms work? Double check the confirmation messages and email notifications on your forms too, and make sure they still feel relevant.
- Do you have any seasonal content that should be removed (or added)?
- Is your call to action clear and still applicable? Make sure you are driving leads to the action you want them to take right now. Your goals may change, and your call to action should always be tied to your current goal.
- Can you write a few more blog posts or resources to publish over the next few weeks or months?
- Do you have an FAQ section on your website and is it up to date with the types of questions your ideal client is typing into search engines or AI right now? Your FAQ section is a great way to get found in AI searches.
- Is there anything that you can automate on your website? If you have a contact form, intake form, application form or booking calendar that is not yet automated, setting this up will help save you time in the future and provide a smoother customer experience at the same time.
Go through the above lists, but also take more time to assess whether bigger changes are needed with your branding or website:
- We created Your Branding Visual Audit that can help walk you through a DIY audit of your visual brand. For only $27 CAD it will give you a good foundation to know whether your branding is working and what changes are needed.
- You can also book a free discovery call if you want to chat through where your branding or website are at now and where you would like them to be. Our discovery calls are no-pressure, and can provide clarity on whether you should try some DIY fixes, hire an expert, or wait another season before taking any action at all. Sometimes a quick chat with an expert is all it takes to gain the clarity you need to make a decision.
What is on your website or branding spring cleaning list this year?
