3 quick (and easy!) website updates for 2021
#artsadmintips #communicationbasics#thesamblog
We at SAM like to think of our website as our “online home” and just like a real home, it needs regular tidying and maintaining – especially after the holidays!
Here are three quick things you can do to make sure your arts website is in tip-top shape for 2021:
1) Update the year in your copyright footer
Often overlooked and forgotten* the website copyright footer is a small but important aspect of any website – especially for a website where you’re marketing your work. A current-year footer reminds visitors that the content on your website is protected by copyright and also tells them at a glance that information on your website is current and maintained.
Don’t know what a copyright footer is? If you scroll down to the very bottom of this page, you’ll see ours which reads: © 2021 Strategic Arts Management. If you’re totally unfamiliar with copyright, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office has a great guide to copyright in Canada you can check out here.
If you don’t know how to update your website’s footer yourself, try Google-searching the name of the Content Management System (CMS) you use to maintain your website and “copyright footer” to find a tutorial (ex: WordPress copyright footer, Squarespace copyright footer). If you want to add the copyright symbol to your footer, you can copy and paste the following: © or type it yourself by holding Option and hitting the g-key on a Mac or holding Alt and typing 0169 on the number pad on PC.
*Seriously – if we had a nickel for every website (arts-based or not) we’ve seen with a copyright footer 2+ years out of date, we could probably offer free services for a month!
2) Take a look at your “About” and “Staff” pages
2020 changed a lot of things in the arts and the world. No doubt you/your company was affected in some way, shape, or form. Make sure your “About” page reflects the adaptations you may’ve made to weather the pandemic and ensure you direct visitors onwards from the page to other pages and/or social channels where they’re able to engage with your activities.
Tip: “About” = current. It’s what you’re doing now. If you want to talk about your history, make a new page or section where you share that information.
Knowing who’s behind the organization helps visitors connect to you/your organization in a more personal way. Making sure you have current headshots and bios is an easy way to fulfill that goal AND, as a bonus, you can re-use bios and headshots to create a “meet our staff” campaign on social media!
3) Refresh your landing page
It’s a new year, time for some new pictures! Whether you use a slider or static images, it’s nice to change things up to keep imagery current and applicable to your activities. It’s also a great chance to shine the spotlight on your most recent activities or encourage visitors to check out your social channels.
You could also explore new layout options or copy text if you have feedback/analytics data saying your current setup isn’t user-friendly.
If any of this seems outside your skillset, don’t be afraid to ask for help!
SAM has consultants who specialize in web design and development who would be happy to help you tackle tidying up your online home. Reach out today to get started.