This article is part of HostGator’s Web Pros Series. In this series, we feature articles from our team of experts here at HostGator. Our Product Managers, Linux Administrators, Marketers, and Tech Support engineers share their best tips for getting the most out of your website.
So you’re working from home now. The kids are finally busy working on a craft project and the barking dog fell asleep.
You’ve got less than an hour before the 'you know what' hits the fan again. And you want to do something that can quickly move the needle for your business.
Here are 5 quick website updates you can make in 30 minutes or less.
Note: You can’t do all of these things in 30 minutes. But one task at a time, with 30 minutes at a time, you’ll get it done!
1. Update your business hours on your website & on Google My Business.
Maybe your city has gone on lock down that required your physical location to go on revised hours. Or maybe you’re temporarily closed on a week-by-week basis. Make sure your customers and clients know your new, current operating hours by updating your contact page.
Consider adding a 'current as of X date' tag or a note that calls out 'our current hours during COVID-19' so customers know they are truly seeing your current, updated hours.
You may also consider a call out banner on the homepage so your customers can easily find this information.
Next, update your temporary business hours on your Google My Business listing. This is important because it will populate the store listing that customers see when searching for your physical location on Google Maps app.
Recently I was out for a late night run to the local drug store and looked up the hours on Google Maps. The hours listed regular hours and then this week’s hours. Sweet! They’re still open 24 hours. I arrive, and JK, the store is closed and there’s a sign on the door with early closing hours. Super frustrating!
There are three ways you can update your business hours on Google My Business. Check out the 'holiday hours' option.
2. Review & update your metadata.
Meta what? This is a search engine optimization thing. And we all need those positive SEO vibes right now.
Metadata is what appears in the search engine results when your website comes up for a query. Like in the example below.
If you don’t have metadata set up, the search engine will create this for you. But it will likely not be what you want and the meta description will be truncated by character limit.
If you’re on a WordPress website, you can tackle this 30 minute SEO task by setting up the Yoast SEO plugin. Yoast makes it easy to change the page title and meta description directly within the editor of each post.
Another added bonus – you don’t have to remember the latest standards for metadescription length. Yoast will highlight the text in red, yellow, or green to let you know how much space is remaining.
Got more than 30 minutes? Watch our Intro to SEO webinar to learn more about metadata.
3. Add your phone number (or preferred contact method) to your site header.
Now more than ever, your website should be easy to use so people can quickly find the information they need.
Consider adding a phone number or your preferred method of contact to your website header so people can easily see it. If you have a form or an informational update they should see first before contacting you, draw attention to that as well.
Southwest Airlines used this method by listing important links in the top header and a 'High Call Volumes' notice so customers know what to expect. I was quickly able to find their policy about cancelling a flight in the 'information for you' links, and didn’t even have to call! I’m sure they’ll appreciate one less phone call in these crazy times.
4. Write a blog post and share it on social media.
A blog post is a great way to show that your business is still up and running. Need an idea for a quick post? Write about your top selling item of the year.
Got an item or service that could help people during these challenging times? Write a product highlight in a blog post and share it on your social channels. This doesn’t have to be long, but make it informative and helpful.
5. Review and update your navigation menu.
Now is a great time to review the buttons and options in your navigation menu. Are these items still relevant to your customers or shoppers, given the current environment?
On the HostGator blog, we’re working hard to pump out a lot of content to support our customers during the new state of work. I wanted to be able to point website visitors to one link where they could see all this great content. And so it doesn’t get lost in our steady stream of new articles that are publishing each day.
So I added 'COVID-19 Business Tips' to the main navigation. Now this content – which is currently our priority focus – is highlighted and easy for people to find.
While I was in there, I also changed 'Resource Library' to 'Webinars & More.' This seemed more descriptive of the content and would catch attention while people are coming to our site to learn new things about going online.
Wrapping Up'¦
When you want to make some meaningful changes to your website on a time crunch, these ideas will get you started. Now, hurry up! Pick your fave and get it done before the dog wakes up!
Blair Williamson is the content marketing manager for HostGator where she comes up with great ideas for blog content, webinars, and emails to help you rock your business.