Small, Strategic Website Adjustments That Lead to Big Wins

In a session of the ‘Let’s fix your website‘ webinar, hosted by the San Francisco Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the San Francisco Public Library, I conducted live audits on several websites, making hands-on tweaks to boost performance and enhance user experience. My goal? Show how small, strategic adjustments can lead to big wins.

Let’s dive into individual site reviews to highlight specific improvements.

Leann Ramos Bookkeeping

Leann Ramos is a small business bookkeeper based in Mendocino County. Upon reviewing her website, leannramos.com, it’s clear that her specialization in bookkeeping for restaurants isn’t immediately evident. This focus is crucial for her target audience—restaurant owners—who need to recognize it right away.

She is active on social media, particularly Instagram. While frequent posting is beneficial, the content should prioritize engaging potential clients rather than repeating the same information. Since clients trust her with their finances, building a personal connection is essential. Leann should convey her authenticity and expertise as a virtual bookkeeper to earn their trust.

Recommendations

Leann should replace stock images and graphics with real photos and videos of herself and her clients. Visuals of Leann in actual restaurant environments will make her brand feel personal and relatable.

She should update her profile picture to a smiling, approachable image to create a welcoming impression.

Adding interviews with restaurant owners to her website can showcase their experiences, challenges, and insights. This approach positions her as a friendly partner who understands the restaurant business.

Instead of promoting affordability, she should emphasize delivering high-quality, trustworthy, and accurate services. Highlighting professionalism and reliability is key for restaurant owners.

If Leann is new and lacks testimonials, she could showcase any relevant work experience. Collaborating with other professionals or gaining initial experience through partnerships can help build her credibility.

Rather than focusing on quick-fix marketing or following generalized advice, she should prioritize delivering excellent results and building her expertise. High-quality results drive referrals and reduce the need for aggressive sales efforts.

These changes aim to make the website more personal, credible, and targeted toward restaurant owners, creating a brand that resonates with her ideal clients and encourages trust-based referrals.

JT Virtual Assistance

Jay-Cee Tan is the CEO of Outsourcing and Offshoring Consulting at jtvirtualassistants.com. The site currently operates on Wix, which is user-friendly but unsuitable for long-term growth. Transitioning to WordPress will provide better functionality and scalability, making adding blog posts, resources, and updates easier to keep the audience engaged.

The website radiates a welcoming energy, with the smiling faces of team members setting a warm tone. JT Virtual Assistance is backed by real people ready to help—an invaluable strength in a world of faceless virtual services. However, some images lack quality, with a few appearing pixelated, which diminishes impact. Clear, high-quality visuals can enhance the brand’s professional feel and keep the audience engaged.

While text-based testimonials provide credibility, they could be more impactful. Video testimonials from satisfied clients, especially recognizable faces in real estate, can validate their services and create relatable stories for potential clients.

Visitors might find it challenging to fully grasp the scope of services offered. It’s essential to clarify what specific tasks their virtual assistants can handle for real estate investors. A clear narrative that guides potential clients through the journey would make a significant difference:

• How do clients get started?
• What specific tasks can VAs handle?
• What unique expertise does the team bring?

Weaving these answers into the site’s content can create a compelling narrative that pulls visitors in and leaves them eager to learn more.

Recommendations

Create short, engaging video clips, each focusing on a specific service or success story. These bite-sized insights can spark interest and encourage viewers to explore further.

Add a brief welcome video on the homepage. In under a minute, showcase client success stories and introduce the team’s impact. This personal touch can create an instant connection with visitors.

Emphasize the team’s strengths and reliability, addressing clients’ concerns about working across time zones. This will build trust and show commitment to client success.

Provide insights into the VA training, onboarding, and management processes to reassure prospective clients about who they’ll work with, enhancing transparency and credibility.

Sarah Glenville

Sarah Glenville is a User Experience Researcher. Her website functions primarily as a case study portfolio, showcasing her skills in UX research and urban design. However, it does not adequately represent her independent client work or encourage potential clients to engage.

The website includes projects but lacks depth in displaying her diverse skill set. It is mostly static, with no blog or minimal interactive content, and provides only a general sense of her past collaborations with brands.

The website has a domain rating of only 6 and lacks keywords. Using a Gmail address for professional correspondence and linking to case studies with generic keywords can give the impression of SEO spam, which undermines her professionalism.

Recommendations

Host a YouTube channel or podcast interviewing industry peers to build authority, drive traffic, and provide fresh content for the website.

Decide if the website will serve solely as a case study portfolio or expand to include client work and encourage business inquiries.

Emphasize her strengths as a high-end UX researcher open to contracts or full-time roles.

Switch to a branded email (e.g., sarah@sarahglenville.com) for a more professional appearance.

Focus the website on UX expertise with relatable content that aligns with potential client needs.

Add videos or interactive media where Sarah walks through her case studies, explaining her process, collaboration style, and the value she brings to teams.

Consider blogging or integrating thought leadership articles to reinforce her expertise, build authority, and attract organic traffic.

Use LinkedIn as a primary channel to showcase her work, seeking recommendations to build credibility and keep the profile updated and active.

Remove SEO spam-like links and instead feature in-depth, authentic case studies without overloading on keywords.

Christian HVAC

Christian HVAC is an air conditioning and heating company based in the Bay Area, CA. However, their website, https://christian-hvac.com/, lacks authority and contains minimal content. It does not have enough high-quality backlinks, which negatively impacts its online visibility and credibility.

The site is missing dedicated pages for specific service locations around the Bay Area, making it difficult for potential customers in different areas to find relevant information. Additionally, the website lacks SSL certification, making it appear untrustworthy and potentially affecting its analytics, as users may view it as insecure.

Currently, only 10 pages are indexed, which is insufficient for effective SEO. The absence of individual service and local area pages further limits search visibility. The site’s SEO setup is poor, with spammy backlinks from low-quality sites that harm the website’s reputation and may be flagged by Google.

Some links redirect to spam or unrelated advertisements, negatively impacting user experience and Google rankings.

The person managing the site seems unaware of HVAC-specific SEO requirements. HVAC websites need a targeted structure, including location and service pages, to drive local leads effectively.

Recommendations

Develop dedicated pages for each service location (e.g., Antioch, Marin County) to enhance visibility in local search results and provide specific service details.

Implement an SSL certificate to improve user trust and protect data, which is essential for any modern website, especially those handling customer inquiries.

Create dedicated pages for each service offered (heating, cooling, insulation, etc.) to help Google index the site for specific HVAC-related searches and improve rankings.

Remove spammy backlinks and avoid services that build poor-quality links. Instead, focus on acquiring high-quality, relevant backlinks to boost site authority.

Regularly post genuine photos and videos of the team working on projects, along with customer testimonials and success stories. This builds credibility and enhances the website’s SEO naturally.

Actively gather and showcase reviews from past customers on the website and popular review platforms like Google Business. Positive reviews improve trust and contribute to local SEO ranking.

Seek out training resources from reliable SEO sources, particularly those specializing in HVAC and plumbing SEO, to better understand the steps needed for effective digital marketing in the HVAC sector.

Anna Paulette MB Fine Art

Anna Paulette is a painter and printmaker at Full Belly Farm. Her website https://www.annapaulettemb.com is built on Fine Art Storefront (FASO), suitable for artists to showcase their work. However, compared to more popular options like WordPress, it may not be the most SEO-optimized choice.

The website loads slowly, despite using Cloudflare and a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to improve loading times. Some content on the website isn’t being indexed by search engines, limiting its visibility in search results.

While Anna primarily sells artwork in person, the website serves as a supplementary gallery where visitors can explore additional pieces not displayed at her venue. The main issue isn’t the website structure itself, but the lack of traffic. The site lacks active social media promotion, email newsletters, and other online traffic sources to attract visitors.

Recommendations

Investigate potential bottlenecks despite using Cloudflare and a CDN. Optimize image sizes, reduce unnecessary plugins, and ensure the CDN is configured correctly to enhance loading speeds.

Make sure all key content (art pieces, events, about pages, etc.) is indexed properly. Optimize the sitemap, improve page metadata, and submit the site to search engines for maximum visibility.

If feasible, integrate WordPress or a similar platform that offers better SEO optimization options, including a wider range of plugins and tools to improve search rankings.

Increase activity on social media platforms to drive traffic to the site. Showcase recent artwork, share event updates, and include links directing followers to the website.

Regularly send out an email newsletter featuring new artwork, event schedules, and limited-time offers. This will help keep past and potential clients engaged and encourage return visits to the website.

Partner with galleries and participate in local art events to promote the website. Mentioning the online gallery during events can help attract interested buyers to view her full range of work.

Whether you’re a small business owner or an independent professional, taking the time to evaluate and improve your website can lead to lasting benefits. Through our live audits, you can see how strategic adjustments can elevate your online presence.

Ready to take your website to the next level? Join Office Hours now for expert insights and actionable tips. Fast, efficient, and game-changing—let’s get started!