Top 10 Website Checklist- The Basics

Are you building a brand-new website or updating an existing one? Luckily for you, I have compiled this shortlist of the top 10 things to include and think about when building your website so that you have everything you need and have all the basics covered. From the must-haves to the pitfalls that are easy to miss, this is your starting point. Ready? Got your coffee? Read!

1. A domain that works for you.

Coming up with the perfect name for your business can be difficult, especially if you are indecisive like me! Making a list of all the different variations you like can take weeks or even months. Imagine doing all of that to find out that your dream name already has a website linked to it. When determining your perfect company name, have a browser open to check if that name already has a domain attached to it. If it does, you could offer to buy the domain but it is often easier and cheaper to scratch it off the list and move on.

2. Clear Navigation

Consider how visitors will interact with your website, the information you want to showcase, and the actions you want them to take. Do you want them to learn something, buy something, get in touch or book an appointment? Keep call-to-action buttons prominent and navigation menus as simple as possible by grouping related pages under clear headings. This will ensure visitors can find information quickly, effectively and, as a result, are more likely to engage with your business.

3. Home and About pages.

Although you will need plenty of other pages for your website, these are the two main content pages that website visitors will be looking for when determining if they want to engage with your business. Your Home page gives you a platform to explain who you are, and what you do, grab people's attention and direct them to different areas of your website, whilst your About page provides visitors with more information on the background of you or the business, your vision and your mission.

4. Content

Even if you have a sales website, be sure that there are plenty of areas that include text, and consider including a blog. The more content you have on your website, the more information search engines have to 'read' about you and your business. This helps to build your SEO, meaning prospects will have a better chance of finding your site. Check out "Build your audience with SEO" for more tips.

5. Images

Using images relevant to your site and content is an easy way of making your website more visually appealing and helps demonstrate the character of your business. Although these can be anything you want them to be, always tag "alt text" for the image. Doing this means search engines understand what the picture is for, and provide text if the image doesn't load for whatever reason (ie. a poor internet connection), whilst also providing descriptive text for auto-reader software for visitors who use it.

6. Contact form

Regardless of the type of site, visitors to your site may want to contact you, even if it's only to reach out to tell you what a great job you are doing! Be sure not to ask for too much or irrelevant information, as this can put visitors off completing the form.

All you require is a name and email address, with the option to add a phone and space for a message. However, if you are offering products, you may want to include dropdowns to help you categorise their request - ie. returns or a sizing question. Additionally, if you provide a service, you may want to give the option of specifying the service they are interested in. Regardless of what you put on your form, you will need to add a 'thank you for contacting us' page and send an automatic email

those who complete it.

7. Social Media and links

Be sure to list all platforms outside of your website that you post to or provide information on, such as social media profiles, or accreditation sites. However, don't open accounts for the sake of it. If Pinterest isn't relevant to your business then don't have it. If you don't like using Twitter, then don't. Keep in mind that whatever you link to, you will need to use it regularly. Although this may seem simple, triple-check your links, especially if building a site from templates; a common mistake is not updating social buttons from the 'template' links.

8. Mobile and browser views.

Check your website navigation, page layouts and image positioning and links on all platforms to make sure that it looks and works as well on a mobile as it does on a laptop. Test on Android as well as iOS phones. Open in Chrome, safari, firefox, and any other platform that you can access. Ensure that no matter where your visitors come from, they have the same great experience to keep them returning and engaging with your business.

9. The boring but necessary bits

People interact with your website, which is the point of having it. However, there are some legal points that you need to include somewhere on your site to cover these interactions and how information is stored.

Although not required by law, a 'Terms and Conditions' page is wise to have, should something happen in the future. Stating that anyone visiting your website 'does so at their own risk' might sound silly, but copyrighting your website and its contents are not.

However, a Privacy Policy is mandatory by law in many countries and should be listed clearly on your site. This should include how your site collects and stores cookie information, how you store personal details from contact forms, and how users can reach out to you to unsubscribe and have their information deleted.

Depending on the type and size of your business, the information you collect or provide, these bits of 'legal-ese' don't necessarily have to go through lawyers.

There are plenty of sites out there that will generate the information you need to post either for free or with a small fee. Answer a few questions and then copy and paste the content into 'floating' pages on your site. Then link to them in your footer (as per below) and link to relevant pages such as contact forms.

10. Get the help you need

If you get stuck and would like some additional help with structuring your website navigation, can't get your contact form to work, or are struggling to get the words out, the best thing that you can do is reach out for a chat. I will be happy to help you make the most of your website.