Spring Clean your Business – Here’s How

Be sure to check all of your website links as would-be customers will go elsewhere if any are broken. Next, check your website’s speed with HubSpot, as it may be slow to render.

Other ways you can make your website more customer friendly:

• Check your key information is up to date – phone number, address, and opening hours – and consistent across your website, LinkedIn profile, Google business page, etc
• Revisit your website page titles and addresses to ensure they reflect the information on the page rather than a series of numbers. For instance, you want to see yourbusinessname.com/contact for your contact page
• Tweak your pages’ meta-descriptions to include local keywords linked to your business to boost your search engine rankings locally. SEO guru Neil Patel has valuable insight.
• There may be updated regulatory requirements so ‘Terms of Use’, ‘Privacy Policy’ etc should also be regularly reviewed.

Organise your accounting & bookkeeping 

Does your accounting and bookkeeping system allow you to check your profit and loss and other key metrics daily?

• Review files and accounts
• Sort your receipts
• Separate your business from your private expenses.

Revise your business plan

Check your business plan. Assess if it reflects:

• Changes you’ve made in your business
• Your current products and services – have you added or removed any?
• New target markets
• Changing customer preferences and profiles
• Your current business structure, resources, staffing, and their skill set
• Your cash flow forecast, which ties into the aims, goals, and strategies of your business

Declutter your physical space

Bring some simplicity into your business space – your desk, whether you work from home or other premises.

If you’re holding a lot of stock, but need space for new inventory, consider holding a clearance sale. This may attract new customers. You can then review your business layout for improved traffic flow. Check with your staff for their ideas, too.

This is also an excellent time to:

• Clean from ceiling to floor, including ceiling fans, overhead lighting, blinds, light switches, etc.
• Patch and paint your walls if needed
• Wash windows with a pressure washer
• Target appliances for a scrub down, i.e., for restaurants, spring is an ideal time to clean dishwashing equipment, industrial ovens, the cool room, etc.
• Remove dirt and clutter from your stockroom.

Be sure to erect new signage to help customers navigate the new setup and safety procedures such as exits, particularly if you have retail premises.

Review your insurance