FOURmidable: Quarterly Website Revision
Every three months you will want to go over your website and look at the nitty gritty of the layout and other details, author. Sounds horrifying, right? It doesn’t have to be! This is another task that you will thank future you for taking care of regularly rather than putting it off for your big annual overhaul.
Landing/Homepage: This is arguably the most critical page on your website. Your home page will be what most searches pull up first, so you want it to look good and navigate well. You want this page to be a direct reflection of the overall theme of your entire website. Think in terms of layout, colors, branding, etc. You want the most important information here, front and center.
About Me: Update your about page with any new information and double-check accuracy for what’s already there. Did that book signing already happen? Change it to a new one! Did you already publish that book? Update! Attending a conference next month? Add it here!
Navigation: Clean up your navigation. If you have 3 pages for the same book series, that is confusing to users. Consider limiting your writing to one page and have a couple of page links in the dropdown. Much easier to navigate, and much cleaner to look at.
Whitespace: Otherwise known as “open or negative space” this is the space between elements on a page, including between letters, word, lines, and images. The goal of whitespace is to focus the attention and increase the legibility of your site. Finding the right balance can take some time. Don’t be afraid to fiddle around with settings and move some elements around.
Services/Work With Me: If you provide services, check and update this page multiple times a year. Your services offered have probably changed a little since the last time you looked at this page! Same with a Work With Me page, you want all the information to be current and accurately reflect you, author.
All these updates and checks are crucial to go over several times a year. Before you start, make a backup just in case some irreparable damage occurs. Once you’re done, have a friend or colleague go over your website and share their thoughts. Offer to do the same with them. Suffering with friends is much better than suffering alone.
