Your Website is Never Done

You’ve changed the last colour, tweaked the last bit of text, and turned Maintenance Mode off. You sit back, sigh wistfully, take a sip of [insert favourite drink here] and say “Finally. My website is done.”

Alarm bells start ringing. Lights start flashing. And I, a 5-foot-4 Canadian woman, bust down your door.

No. Your website is NEVER done.

In the Agile methodology for software development, which I draw from loosely on my own projects, we design, test and iterate. Because, as they say, there’s always room for improvement. And, just because you think something is perfect, doesn’t mean your users will.

I mean, they might. But you’d never know that without testing what works and what doesn’t.

It’s time for a mindset shift when it comes to your website – stop thinking of it as a static piece of collateral and start thinking of it as something you update consistently, like one of your social media feeds.

You can use tools like Google Analytics and Hotjar, then start to see patterns with your users, tweak things and see if there are any changes in your user behaviour. Or you can change something and see if it affects the kinds of leads or comments you’re receiving.

If you have some spare time, focus on a small section of your website and look at ways that you can improve it – no need to work on a big redesign or do a grand reveal. Just consistent, intentional improvement.