4 Things To Do in Your Down-time

We’re living in an odd time right now and most of us in the world of digital marketing suddenly have a lot of unexpected down-time. So, why not use this occasion to your advantage? There are plenty of ways to stay productive and here are 4 things to do in your down-time.

1.) Update or Create a Privacy Policy

Privacy Policies are essential for any type of business website. Typically located at the bottom of webpages in the footer. They specify any personally identifiable information that is gathered through your site information such as name, address, browsing history/habits, uploads, downloads, and/or credit card information. If you’re collecting personal information from users, it’s required by law to have a Privacy Policy.

A great example of a privacy to follow is this example from Discover Puerto Rico. The organization breaks their Privacy Policy down by categories of information they obtain such as cookies, IP addresses, Links, Requests for information, newsletters, surveys and contests, security, choice/opt-out and Notification of Changes.

Make sure you have an updated Privacy Policy on your website! If you need help with writing one, there are plenty of free online generators such as Termly.

2.) Website Maintenance

Website Maintenance can sometimes be cumbersome and time consuming, which makes it something that is perfect to catch up on when you have more free time than you anticipated.

Here are a few things you can do to spruce up or update your site;

Fix Broken Links
  • Nothing is worse to a customer than going to a webpage with that horrible “404 page” (aka a site doesn’t exist). To ensure that doesn’t happen to your customers, go through your entire website and make sure all your links work! There’s a free tool available called Google Search Console that automatically checks websites for broken links.
Update WordPress and Plugin’s
  • If you’re running a WordPress platform, it is imperative that your plugins are updated to keep the site running and secure. Your new updates are typically located at the top of your website when logged into your site. Check the icons and make sure all your templates and plugins are up to date. Be sure to update plug-ins regularly since it ensures tight website security! This ideally should be done on a regular basis, but now is the time to ensure that your website is completely up-to-date.
Browser and Mobile Friendly
  • With the variety of different browsers we all have available to us, everyone has a preference. Whether it be Chrome, Safari, or Firefox – we all use something different. As most of the traffic coming to your website will be via a mobile device, it’s imperative that you ensure that your site tests well on mobile devices. A great way to determine the mobile-friendliness of your site is to use this tool from Google.
Check Page Speed
  • Your site might have been at an adequate speed before your added that recent blog post or new landing page, but with those new edits you may have actually slowed it down. Try testing your most visited pages with the PageSpeed Insights tool to make sure that the page is loading quickly. You can also check out the PageSpeed Suggestions tab in your Google Analytics. One other tip; make sure you clear your site caches and browser caches to ensure maximum speed and performance!

3.) Claim Your Business on Google

Steps To Claim Your Google My Business Page

My Business Page

  1. First, on Google My Business sign-in your Google account, or make one if you don’t already have one; then click “Next.”
  2. Then enter your business’s address and click “Next.”
  3. Choose if you want your business to appear on Google Maps and click “Next.”
  4. Select your business category and click “Next.”
  5. Enter your business phone number or website URL and click “Finish.”
  6. Select a way to verify your business so you can access your account

Once the set up and verification processes are completed, you will be able to access your Google My Business Dashboard. Here you will be able to enter in your business’s details. Important information to include:

  1. Business Hours of Operation
  2. Images of Your Business
  3. Business Description
  4. Your Website
  5. Your Phone Number

Now that your business is [virtually] up and running, you are now able to use Google Posts to ensure your latest blog posts show up in search results. Plus, keep track of your Google Reviews, search activity and latest insights on Google searches related to your industry.

4.) Update Your Social Strategy

Your Social Media Strategy may have worked before this pandemic, but now it is a great time to rethink you’re approach as the country begins to open once again and travelers take route. It may not be easy to not overlook what’s happening around us or keeping the consumers best interest in mind, but it’s an approach which will win in the long term – here are a few ideas to consider.

Focus on Interactive Content
  • Interactive content is significantly more effective than static content. These content pieces are a ‘Call-To-Action’ piece that is also very sharable which also helps in increasing brand awareness.
Optimize Your Social Accounts for Engagement
  • Profiles are optimized through photos, keywords and your account information. Make sure your header and profile photos are clear and up to date. Use your Twitter and Instagram bios to promote or advertise your product or website. Use tools like LinkTree in your bio to highlight things like recent blog posts, your contact page, or latest news you want to share to your followers. ‘
Create a Content Calendar
  • Now is the perfect time to get ahead and plan out your content calendar for the quarter or the year. This will help with consistency and retention. It also allows for you to be able to spend less time on what to post during peak seasons.

Even though we didn’t ask for this extra time we have lying around, its crucial to make the best of it. Use this time effectively and come out ahead. Find out more information on content creation, claiming your business on and utilizing Google My Business, Help on Content Planning and much more, be sure to check out our BLOG!