Think of your website like a shop window. If it’s covered in dust, full of broken signs, and hasn’t been updated since 2014… it’s not exactly screaming “trust me!” to new customers.
At Start Digital, we’ve sat down with countless small business owners who admit the same thing, their website feels overwhelming, neglected, or just plain confusing. And we get it. You’re juggling everything from customers to cash flow. But your website? It’s your digital storefront. And it deserves a little love.
Here are some easy (we promise!) tips to help you manage your website and keep it working for your business, not against it.
1. Check it like you check your socials
You wouldn’t post a reel on Instagram and forget about it for 6 months. Same goes for your website.
What to do: Set a monthly reminder to check key info, opening hours, contact details, pricing, and links.
What to avoid: Outdated content, broken pages, or Christmas opening hours in June…
2. Get speedy
People are impatient. If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, they’ll bounce. Google will notice too, and not in a good way.
What to do: Use a free tool like PageSpeed Insights to check your speed and follow its suggestions.
What to avoid: Uploading massive image files or stuffing the homepage with unnecessary animations.
3. Make it mobile-friendly (like, yesterday)
80% of people will visit your website from their phone. If your menu’s glitchy or text is too small to read, they won’t stick around.
What to do: Test your site on your phone. Can you easily click buttons? Is it easy to read?
What to avoid: Designing purely for desktop, mobile is where most customers live.
4. Refresh your content
Your website doesn’t need to change every week, but it should feel alive. That means regular updates to blogs, news, or products.
What to do: Add a short blog post or update your services every month.
What to avoid: A homepage that hasn’t changed since your business launch.
5. Back it up and secure it
Imagine waking up one day and your site is gone, hacked, broken, or just vanished. Not cute.
What to do: Use your website platform’s backup tools or ask your developer for regular backups. Make sure your SSL certificate is active (that’s the little padlock in the browser bar).
What to avoid: Ignoring security updates or using “admin123” as your password (yes, we’ve seen it).
Bonus tip: Start simple, then grow
You don’t need all the bells and whistles. A clean, easy-to-navigate website that clearly explains what you do will always win over something flashy but confusing.
At Start Digital, we’re all about helping you feel confident with your tech. Website stress? It’s fixable. And we’re here to make it easier.
If you need a hand figuring out what’s working (and what’s not) on your site, our Website Health Check might just be the digital TLC you need.
Let’s keep your website looking sharp and working hard, so you can focus on running your business.
