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If, like me, you are a New Zealand car owner, you routinely book six-monthly W.O.F. checks to confirm your car's road fitness. Even if it wasn't a legal obligation, you would do it, because driving an unfit car is a safety risk.

Imagine if all websites had to pass an internet fitness check. Wouldn't we internet users suffer far less frustration? If you browse the internet often, you've probably seen several websites that would fail an internet fitness check. I know I have. The owners of those websites don't seem to understand the business risks associated with having an unfit website (e.g. reduced customer confidence, lost business opportunities, etc).

What makes a website "fit" for the Internet?
In the past I have emphasised how important customer-relevant website content is. This is definitely true. However, great content alone will not make your website a success. It must also be quick and easy for your customers to find information and perform tasks, and consistently function well.

So, how do you avoid website failure? Going back to the car analogy, you probably do more than just six-monthly W.O.F. checks. In between times, you drive it, clean it, check the oil, check the tyres, etc.

You should also perform website checks regularly. You probably checked your website when it was first built, but things change. You should set aside time on a weekly or monthly basis to check your website. After all, it's better for you to find failures and fix them, than to lose customers as a result of them.

Regular website checks should include:

• Website content freshness: Is your website content up-to-date? Are all your products and services covered? Are your news items still newsworthy? Do any time references need updating? Are your images, logos, and photos still appropriate?
• Contact details: Confirm that phone, fax, mobile numbers, postal and email addresses are still valid. Send test emails to email links to verify they are being received and review any automated responses.
• Spelling, grammar and language: Check that text is spelt properly, grammatically correct, and written in words your customers understand.
• Website forms: Test your forms to confirm they are functioning correctly, and review how easy they are to use from your customers' perspective. Test what happens if the form is blank or incomplete when submitted.
• Website links: Test all links on your website thoroughly. If a link to another website is broken, either fix it or remove it. Even if it's not your fault, it still makes your website look bad.
• · File sizes and download times: Note how long it takes to load photos, graphics, video files, PDF documents or anything else you have on your website. Remember that even if you have a fast computer with broadband internet access, not all of your customers will.
• Website features: Put yourself in your customers' shoes, and ask yourself what value each feature of your website adds to your customers. If it doesn't add value, remove it. Think of other features that may help them to interact with your website or business more easily.

Perform regular checks on your website to ensure that it continues to function well and provide value to your customers. Doing so will increase your customers' confidence in your business, and reduce the risk of lost business opportunities.