5 things you need to know as a website owner

Let’s be honest for a second… when was the last time you properly checked in on your website?

Not just opening the homepage and thinking “yep, that looks fine”, but actually clicking through your pages, testing things, and seeing it the way a new visitor would.

Most people launch a website, feel relieved it’s finally done, and then move on to everything else in their business. Which is completely fair. The thing is, over time, a few small (and very fixable) things can quietly start working against you if they’re left too long.

Here are five of the main ones worth paying attention to.

1. Updates (the one everyone tends to put off!)

Updates are one of those jobs that never feels urgent… right up until something stops working.

If your website relies on plugins, themes, or any kind of backend system, those parts need to be kept up to date. When they’re not, you can run into bugs, security issues, or features that slowly stop doing what they’re supposed to.

The tricky part is that it’s not always obvious straight away. Sometimes it’s a contact form that quietly stops sending enquiries, or a page that doesn’t load properly on certain devices.

You don’t need to be checking this every day, but setting aside a bit of time regularly can save you a lot of headaches later.

2. Do you actually have Google Search Console set up?

This is a simple one, but it makes a big difference.

Do you know how people are finding your website on Google? Or which pages are actually showing up in search results?

If the answer is “not really”, there’s a good chance you haven’t set up Google Search Console yet.

It’s a free tool that gives you insight into what people are searching, how your site appears in Google, and whether there are any issues affecting your visibility. Without it, you’re mostly relying on guesswork, which makes it harder to improve anything with confidence.

3. Speed matters more than you think

We’ve all clicked on a website, waited a few seconds, and then decided it’s not worth the wait.

If your site is slow to load, that’s often exactly what your visitors are doing too. It doesn’t matter how good your content or services are if people don’t stick around long enough to see them.

Speed can be affected by things like large images, too many plugins, or just a site that hasn’t been optimised properly. It also plays a role in how your website performs in search rankings, so it’s not just about user experience.

A good way to think about it is this: if it feels even slightly slow to you, it’s probably costing you more visitors than you realise.

4. Take a fresh look at your content

It’s easy to forget what your own website actually says once it’s been live for a while.

Open it up and read through it like you’re seeing it for the first time. Does everything still reflect what you do now?

You might notice old offers, outdated services, or wording that doesn’t quite match how you’d describe your business today. Even small details like that can make your business feel less current than it actually is.

Keeping your content up to date doesn’t mean you need to rewrite your entire site. Often it’s just a matter of making small adjustments so everything still feels accurate and relevant.

5. Are you tracking anything?

This is one of the biggest missed opportunities.

If you’re not tracking what people are doing on your website, it’s very hard to know what’s working and what isn’t. You might be getting traffic, but where is it coming from? Which pages are people spending time on? Where are they dropping off?

Tools like Google Analytics can give you a much clearer picture of how people are actually using your site.

Once you have that information, you can start making more informed decisions instead of relying on assumptions.

A quick reality check

Your website isn’t just something that sits there looking nice. Ideally, it should be supporting your business in a practical way, whether that’s bringing in enquiries, generating leads, or helping people understand what you offer.

It doesn’t need constant attention, but it does need occasional check-ins to keep things running smoothly.

Spending a bit of time on it every now and then can make a noticeable difference over time. And if you’ve had a feeling that something might be off, it’s probably worth taking a closer look.

And of course if you need any help with updating your Squarespace or WIX website I’m here to help!