Website & Digital Marketing Checklist
for Small Business Owners

Responsiveness refers to how your website adjusts and displays on various screen sizes, ensuring a user-friendly experience across devices.

How to Check Mobile Responsiveness:

• Directly on Devices: Open your website on various smartphones and tablets. Observe how it appears and functions.

• Using Browser Developer Tools:

1. Open your website in a browser like Chrome.
2. Right-click on your webpage and select "Inspect."
3. Click the "Toggle device toolbar" icon (that looks like a phone/tablet) at the top left of the inspect window.
4. Choose a device preset to view your site as it would appear on that device.

How to Improve:

• Modify your site's appearance using the mobile website editor option, available in most common website platforms.
• Adjust font sizes, button placements, and image positions for mobile screens to improve the mobile experience. Typically, changes made for mobile won't impact the desktop version on most common website platforms.
• If elements appear cut off or load slowly on mobile (but are fine on desktop), consider using the mobile editor to hide them from the mobile view for a smoother user experience.

Navigation refers to the menu structure and links that guide users through your website, while layout pertains to how content is organized on each page. Together, they dictate how easily visitors can find what they're looking for and interact with your site.

How to Check Navigation & Layout:

• Manual Testing: Open your website and see if you can immediately identify where to find key information (e.g., contact, products/services, about). Then, browse through as a new visitor would, clicking on menu items and links.
• Ask for Feedback: Ask a friend or colleague unfamiliar with your site to find specific pieces of information. Note any struggles or hesitations they might encounter.

How to Improve:

• Logical Structure: Organize your main menu items in a sequence that mirrors the typical user journey. For example, discovering about your business, reviewing your services, and then contacting you such as: "Home > About > Services > Contact"
• Limit Menu Items: Aim for 5-7 primary menu items to prevent overwhelming visitors. Use dropdowns within the navigation for related sub-items if needed to ovoid overcrowding the menu.
• Mobile Menus: Ensure the mobile version of your site has a collapsible menu (called a "hamburger" menu) that's intuitive and doesn't clutter the screen.
• Consistent Layout: For similar pages (e.g., all product pages), use a consistent design. This builds familiarity and eases navigation for visitors.

A value proposition is a clear statement that explains the primary benefit or unique selling point of your business, answering the question, "Why should a customer choose you over your competitors?"

How to Check Your Value Proposition:

• Clarity and Brevity: Upon landing on your homepage, assess if the primary message is clear, concise, and conveys the main benefit of your product or service.
• Positioning: Ensure your value proposition is prominently displayed, preferably at the top or center of your homepage, so it's easily noticeable to visitors.

How to Improve:

• Make It User-Centric: Shift the focus to the customer's benefit. Instead of "We sell durable shoes," try "Walk comfortably in shoes that last."
• Highlight Differentiation: Emphasize what sets your offering apart. For instance, "The only café in town with a lakeside view."
• Simplify Language: Use straightforward language and avoid complex industry terms that might confuse visitors.
• Be Specific: Whenever possible, quantify the benefit. "Complete tasks 30% faster" has more impact than just "Complete tasks faster."

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A Call-to-Action (CTA) is a prompt or instruction designed to engage your website visitors and guide them toward a specific action, such as making a purchase, signing up, or getting in touch.

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How to Check Your CTA:  

• Visibility: Review your homepage and key pages to see if the primary CTA stands out visually and is easily noticeable.
• Clarity: Evaluate if the instruction or prompt is clear and directly tells visitors what you'd like them to do.
• Placement: Ensure that your CTA is strategically positioned, such as near the top of the page or following key information.

How to Improve Your CTA:

• Use Actionable Language: Use verbs that prompt direct action, like "Buy Now," "Sign Up," or "Learn More."
• Highlight Benefits: Instead of just "Sign Up," you could say "Sign Up and Get 10% Off."
• Make it stand out: Ensure your CTA button or link contrasts with the background and stands out from other buttons or links. This might mean using bold colors or larger text.
• Limit Choices: Avoid overwhelming visitors with multiple CTAs in one view. If multiple actions are necessary, prioritize them or space them apart.

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Your Google Business Profile shows for your business in Google's search results, and is often the first impression potential customers have of your business when they search for you online. An accurate and optimized profile can help drive traffic to your website or physical location, build trust with potential customers, and even improve your local SEO.

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How to Check If You Have a Google Business Profile:

1. Type your business name into the Google search bar.
2. Look on the right-hand side of the search results. If you see a detailed profile of your business with images, location, and other details, you have a Google Business Profile.
3. If you don't see a profile or if the information is incomplete or inaccurate, you may need to claim, verify, or update your profile.

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How to Set Up or Claim Your Google Business Profile:

1. Visit the Google Business Profile Manager.
2. Click on "Manage Now" or "Sign in."
3. If you have a Google account, sign in. If not, you'll need to create one.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to add or claim your business. You'll need to provide details such as your business name, location, and category.
5. Google will ask you to verify your business, often by sending a postcard with a code to your business address.
6. Once you receive the postcard, enter the code on Google Business Profile Manager to verify your listing.
7. After verifying, you can add more details like business hours, phone number, images, and more.

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Tips:

• Quality Images: Use high-resolution images that represent your business well. Interior, exterior shots, and images of products or services can help potential customers get a feel for what to expect.
• Regular Updates: If anything changes about your business, like your operating hours or contact information, update your profile promptly.
• Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile. Positive reviews can help build trust and attract more customers.

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Keywords are specific words or phrases that potential customers might type into search engines when looking for products or services like yours. Properly integrating them can make your website more discoverable and can also help tailor your content to meet the specific needs of your audience.

How to Research Keywords for Your Business:

1. ‍Brainstorm Potential Keywords: Start by thinking about the words or phrases customers might use when searching for your products or services. Consider local terms if you have a physical location or serve a specific area. For example, if you run a bakery in Denver, potential keywords might include "Denver fresh bread" or "best chocolate cake in Denver."‍
2. Use Keyword Tools: Platforms like Google's Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest can help identify popular and relevant keywords in your industry. They provide insights into search volume, competition, and more.
3. Analyze Competitors: Examine top-ranking websites in your industry to see which keywords they're targeting. This can give you ideas and help you identify gaps in your own keyword strategy.

‍Tips for Implementing Keywords on Your Site:

• ‍Strategic Placement: Ensure keywords are present in crucial areas like titles, headers, and the first few paragraphs. However, they should fit naturally within the content
• Avoid Overuse: Inserting too many instances of your keywords (known as "keyword stuffing") can hurt your search ranking and disrupt the reader's experience. It's important to strike a balance.
• Stay Updated: The world of digital marketing and SEO is always changing. As market demands change, so will popular search terms. Regularly revisit and adjust your keyword strategy to stay current.
  

Metadata consists of information like title tags and meta descriptions that describe what each page of your website is about. Properly optimized metadata is essential for both search engine ranking and for encouraging users to click through to your site. The title tag serves as the headline for the page, while the meta description offers a brief summary of the content.

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How to Check Metadata

• Access Page-Level Settings: Most website builders and CMS platforms offer page-level settings where you can edit metadata directly.
• Yoast SEO for WordPress: If you're using WordPress, the Yoast SEO plugin offers easy-to-use metadata fields.
• Use a Metadata Checker Tool: To check if your metadata is properly implemented, you can use a metadata checker tool like Google's Rich Results Test.

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How to Improve Metadata

• Write Clear and Concise Title Tags: Aim for a 50-60 character title that accurately reflects the page's content.
• Optimize Meta Descriptions: Make sure your meta descriptions are clear and below 160 characters. They should entice the user to click while summarizing the page's content.
• Use Target Keywords: Refer to the keywords checklist to identify important keywords that should be included in both your title tag and meta description.

Alt text (alternative text) provides a textual description of images, enhancing accessibility for visitors using screen readers due to visual impairments. Additionally, it offers SEO benefits by helping search engines understand and rank your content.

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How to Check Alt Text on Images:

• ‍Check Website Media: Most website platforms have a specific field for alt text or description text when you upload or edit an image. Navigate to the image settings or properties to see if the alt text is present.
  

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How to Improve:

• Descriptive, Concise Text: Alt text should accurately describe the image content without being overly lengthy. For instance, "red apple on a white table" is preferable over just "apple" or "apple on a table in a room."
• Avoid Redundancy: Don't start your alt text with "picture of" or "image of." Screen readers already announce an image, so this would be redundant.
• Add keywords: While the primary purpose is accessibility, adding relevant keywords in alt text can help improve your website's search ranking. However, always prioritize a genuine description over keyword stuffing.

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Ensuring readable text is a fundamental aspect of website accessibility. A clear contrast between text and its background allows all users, especially those with visual impairments, to easily comprehend your content. Adhering to this not only improves user experience but also aligns with the WCAG standards, which are internationally recognized guidelines for web accessibility.

How to Check Readable Text:

• Visual Inspection: Skim through your website's pages. Are there any sections where the text is difficult to discern because of poor contrast with the background?
• Contrast Checker: Utilize a Contrast Checker tool to confirm the contrast ratio of your text against its background, ensuring it meets accessibility standards.

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How to Improve:

• Use High Contrast Colors: Common high contrast combinations include black text on a white background or white text on a dark background.
• Adjust Font Weight: Bold or thicker fonts can enhance readability, especially for headings or important text.
• Avoid Busy Backgrounds: Text placed over images or patterns can become lost. Ensure text regions have solid backgrounds or use text shadows to make them pop.

Loading speed is essential for both user experience and SEO ranking. Slow-loading sites can lead to increased bounce rates, where visitors exit your site quickly before navigating more, potentially causing a loss of customers. Large image files are a common culprit for slow loading.

How to Check Your Site's Loading Speed:

• Use Speed Test Tools: Visit Google's PageSpeed Insights and enter your website URL to assess your site's speed and get optimization suggestions.
• Check Image Sizes: Within the media library of your web platform, you can typically see the dimensions (in pixels) and the file size (in KB or MB) of your images. Aim for image file sizes less than 500 KB; anything in MB is too large for most web purposes.

Tips to Improve Loading Speed:

• Resize Your Images: Before uploading, ensure images are resized to fit your website's layout, typically with a width at or below 1200px. (For Mac users: Use Preview, navigate to Tools > Adjust Size.)
• Optimize Images: Reduce the file size without sacrificing quality using tools like TinyPNG or Compressor.io.
• Limit Heavy Plugins: Streamline the number of plugins and ensure they're up-to-date.

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