Okay, so the following might seem like a total gimme, but it’s a super straightforward yet also oft overlooked value-add: Basic or essential information on how to access your goods and/or services on your website.
I’m serious.
This includes store hours, location, essentially ways to find your product and/or service. One of the projects that I worked on at LA Weekly was run through a giant list of about 3,000 restaurants and cafes to verify their contact info and operating hours. I’d call; I checked their websites if there were any; I looked other references. This was almost a decade ago and yet this remains an issue. You’d be surprised how many businesses don’t offer this much when it serves as an easy-to-fix, crucial element.
It is so often overlooked that even major (i.e. big box) brands can be remiss in this regard. I’m talking about broken links (a.k.a. hyperlinks not going anywhere); categories underdeveloped or just undeveloped period; addresses not updated; empty social icons; the list can go on.
Go through your website as if it’s your first time. Try to set aside assumptions of what is where because the goal is to visit your online store with as fresh of a lens as possible. We are looking for open-ended elements like missing details and incomplete descriptions.
Make your contact information very clear. Sure, visitors can click to check out your Contact page. Operative word though is ‘can’ as in they may not. Stats show that the average person stays on a website for less than a minute. We don’t want to squander their minute on having to go on a deep dive for your store phone number, email address, or street address.
Click on every link displayed on your website. We are ensuring that 1) they are not broken; 2) they are leading to where you’d the visitor to go. Also, while you’re at it, try having the link open to another tab. This can save the visitor’s time and in so doing help leave an even better impression.