by Jimmy Flatbush

Created on: February 18, 2010   Last Updated: March 12, 2010

Spring cleaning has become an annual ritual of renewal. As gloomy winter days fade, and bright, clear days abound, many homeowners begin creating a list, some of which contain items that involve extensive time and financial investment. From cleaning out gutters to organizing the garage, people fastidiously work like Robins tidying the nest. Have you started on this year’s spring cleaning list? If so, I wager you forgot one important item for your list.

One of the neglected cleaning projects involves personal and business Websites. While many people abort their Web dreams before commencing with a thorough cleaning, some decide to continue on in pursuit of their online vision without taking the time to refine the site’s content and appearance. Their sites become unwieldy, even unmanageable. Instead of pruning content, they allow content weeds to sprout on virtually every page. Instead of producing a sharp, attractive look, they allow their site’s appearance to become overrun with unnecessary images and graphics.

Add your Website to this year’s spring cleaning list. Concentrate on “cleaning” up the following five areas:

Clean up broken links

Nothing deters a potential Website visitor more than broken links. The most important element of any Website is a 100% functioning link program, regardless if the link is internal or links to another Website. While checking each link is an arduous task, the reward is worth the time and effort. Moreover, link checking services provide comprehensive link checking on a timelier basis. SiteBuildIt.com (SBI) alerts their clients of broken links once a month.

Take out the graphics trash

Website graphics mesmerize Website owners into believing style wins over content. Graphics are used little at the beginning of the Website creation process, but the perceived allure of using them grows until the graphics become a visual cancer on every page. Style is important, but never more important than Website content. Streamline the video component of your Website this spring and, in the process, add new content to take its place.

Use a fresh coat of Web paint

Like a home, Websites invariably benefit from a fresh look about once a year. The change in look can be structural, such as altering the layout, or it can be aesthetic, such as changing fonts, colors, and background. Change is a good thing, but make sure any changes you make complements the Website’s theme.

Inspect the site’s foundation

Content rules in cyberspace. You should review page content more regularly than once a year, but take the time this spring to search for duplicate content, grammar errors, sourcing mistakes, misspelled words, and poorly organized pages. Next to broken links, poorly written content pages will cause a visitor to flee to competitor sites.

Make an addition

Like an addition to a home, adding to a Website can increase visitor counts and subsequent sales if you sell a product or service. Think along the lines of adding a wing to your Website that integrates with the site’s overall purpose. If you sell computer hardware services, consider adding a line of wireless products to your base. If you write “How to…” content, consider adding another way to “How to…” Websites generally stagnate because they refrain from growing or changing course.

Spring is the annual ritual when people renew their spirits and revive their dormant energy. The advent of spring is a wonderful opportunity to take a close look at your Website and initiate the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

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