The ER Christmas Advent Calendar - Our Top Tips for a Successful website

Great photos make your website stand out from the competition. Take a look at the superb pictures on the @clevebridgeuk website. #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/BKyMFJv3lv
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 1, 2016

As long as it's short and optimised, a video on your homepage can be a great way to introduce yourself. Example https://t.co/r0kJIc4n59 pic.twitter.com/nvsjaJYRX3
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 2, 2016

A website isn't just for Christmas! Keep your content engaging and keyword rich all year round, and yule see the benefits! #EdrobXmas pic.twitter.com/zwtL74DwAb
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 3, 2016

Carousels heavily increase your page size with little benefit. Consider if a leaner, well designed section @PennyHydraulics #EdrobXmas pic.twitter.com/71jgpJOuXp
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 4, 2016

Take advantage of smartphones. People using the @brownsproperty website on a phone are automatically shown properties close by. #EdrobXmas pic.twitter.com/q9eIYHvd52
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 5, 2016

Are you using an off-the-shelf CMS? Be sure to keep your plugins up to date or you could risk being hacked. #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/H9xJCfMa15
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 6, 2016

Customer testimonials are a great way to gain the trust of your visitors. The @grantspackaging website makes good use of this. #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/Ndi4tb4cLs
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 7, 2016

Make the complicated, simple. The @northcoastaonb website has tons of info on it, but it's beautifully presented and a breeze to get around pic.twitter.com/sCPs1MrjkO
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 8, 2016

Page speed could be a SEO deal breaker. Optimise your images, minify scripts and watch those external social media plugins. #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/D4YfXeC9m9
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 9, 2016

Customer testimonials are a great way to gain the trust of your visitors. The @grantspackaging website makes good use of great comments. pic.twitter.com/RfSF8qRE9W
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 10, 2016

If your web pages are long, you can stick your navigation to the top, so it’s in view. Scroll down the @helen_eriksen website #EdR0bXmas
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 11, 2016

Schedule tweets so you can send them during business-critical hours if you're away from your computer: https://t.co/FNVyS6n1gQ #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/rBi8tGHQrt
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 12, 2016

Validate your code. Even a complicated home page like @headlamhall is valid code: https://t.co/2s7PdToZkE #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/8ZXuqQTU6k
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 13, 2016

Are you having trouble syncing emails on different devices? Sign up for G Suite for business https://t.co/z6H1WpDSzI pic.twitter.com/1iPDUc6FJQ
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 14, 2016

Wrap your site in a Secure Server Certificate to protect your customer data, and get better search engine rankings. https://t.co/Mv8bxomdOV pic.twitter.com/3mgw1XgQ4U
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 15, 2016

It's more important than ever that your site is mobile-friendly as Google moves to mobile-first indexing https://t.co/NEYmkHkhuE #EdrobXmas pic.twitter.com/HoIMw6KVuX
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 16, 2016

If you're struggling to think of content for your blogs or social media posts, use stumbleUpon https://t.co/QN8vh7CoQu for your ideas! pic.twitter.com/eIfhk4QYR2
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 17, 2016

USe videos and images on your social media posts as they get the most engagement! #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/g4JVXN9dNX
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 18, 2016

If you take online payments then you may need to be PCI DSS compliant to protect yourself and your customers. #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/UeNSkpNrOJ
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 19, 2016

It’s fine for a mobile view, but don’t hide your menu under a hamburger icon on a PC view. It stops users seeing your website! #EdrobXmas pic.twitter.com/QXXaGgZ6aM
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 21, 2016

Use Analytics Custom Alerts: Graham wrote a blog post about it here: https://t.co/a8f4C6LiM4 #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/HkEb45hwYP
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 22, 2016

Interact with your followers - every reply could be a potential customer, don't ignore them! #EdRobXmas pic.twitter.com/729769wq43
— Edward Robertson (@edrobwebdesign) December 23, 2016