Even though it’s easy to forget about, it is important to review your web site regularly. You need your site to stay relevant and useful for your web site visitors.

So – we’ve put together a quick checklist to make the task even easier.

1. How long is it since your web content was written?

You may have parts of your site that are regularly updated – like your news feed, or testimonials that you receive from customers. But there are likely to be parts that haven’t been effectively revisited for quite some time.

If it’s six months or more since your site was written, cast your eye over it to see if any of it needs to be tweaked.

Similarly, if you have any lines like ‘We have been in business for X number of years’, make sure it is accurate. Or, better yet, change it to the year you launched. That way you will never have to worry about changing it in the future.

2. Think about your business focus – and your staff

Does your web site reflect what you actually do on a day-to-day basis? Businesses morph and change, otherwise they would stagnate. It’s when your business changes slowly or imperceptibly that you can find yourself moving away from your web site-based promises. Make sure that your web site is a true reflection of your business.

The other thing that changes about businesses is their staff members. If you have staff biographies, or information, on your site, make sure that it truly reflects who you have on board, and what their current interests and roles are. It is so easy for a staff biography to sound dated. Many businesses also forget to update their staff lists when they bring on someone new, or have somebody leave. The last thing you want to do is portray an inaccurate image of the people behind your business.

3. Do you have new products or services?

It occasionally happens that you can go through your own web site – especially if it’s been a while since your last review – and you discover products or services that you no longer offer. Or worse, that you do offer but prefer not to any more. If you spot any, change them and update them straight away.

4. Do you have new kinds of customers?

You might think ‘nah they’re the same’. But think carefully. If the nature of your customers has changed, does your web site still talk to them effectively? Perhaps the nature of the language needs to be changed, or some of the terms you use. Maybe it needs to be more conservative – or funky – than it currently is.

It’s important that your message reaches your target audience. And if your audience has changed, it’s might be worthwhile thinking about how try to engage them.

5. Are there new trends in your industry?

If, since your site went live, you’ve noticed shifts in your industry, you will want to consider how you reflect them. Or if you want to reflect them, or engage with them.

It could be that your professional body has updated its membership terms; that there are new ‘unspoken’ rules people engage in; or even that there are new trends in buyer behaviour.

When you review your site, think about whether you need to engage actively with the changing trends in your industry: through articles, blogs, or other elements that you could add or tweak.

6. Are you a social networker?

If you have recently dived into the social networking pool, on either Twitter or Facebook (or both!), have you featured the links on your web site? Just as having email newsletter sign-up forms on your site is a good idea, so is having your social networking pages featured. Even if you don’t get an immediate conversion from your site, you may well gain a fan on your social networks. It keeps you in touch with your visitors, and it integrates all the bits and pieces of your online presence.

7. Schedule your next review!

Once you’ve gone through your site and fixed anything that needs to be fixed, go and have a cup of coffee to celebrate. When you come back, schedule your next review immediately. If you make a habit of reviewing your web site regularly, your site will remain relevant and accurate, and each time it will be a quicker and easier process.