From time to time, somebody asks me to take a quick look at a radio station’s website to see what I think. When I’m doing a five-minute diagnosis of a website, here’s what I look for:
1. Is it built in WordPress?
I always start by pulling up the station’s website and taking a look under the hood. In my Google Chrome browser, I go to View > Developer > View Source. This allows me to see the HTML code for the website. I search the page for “wp-.” If the site is built in WordPress, there will be multiple instances of “wp-.”
A radio station website doesn’t need to be built in the WordPress platform to succeed, but it does need to be built in a Content Management System (CMS) platform. A CMS makes it easy for radio stations to consistently publish new content. WordPress just happens to be the most popular CMS platform.
2. Does it have Google Analytics installed?
While I’m poking around the HTML, I also search the page for “ua-.” If I come across some code that looks like this…
<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-XXXXXXX-X"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'UA-XXXXXXX-X');
</script>
…then I know that the site has Google Analytics installed on it. This is a good sign — it means that the station has the ability to collect data about how visitors are using the website. Of course, whether anybody is actually looking at that data or not is a separate question.
3. Do they publish original content on a regular basis?
Next, is the radio station creating original content on a regular basis? Sometimes, the homepage will have a blog or news section on it; sometimes, I’ll have to search through the main menu to find it. If I find a blog or news section, I check to see whether they are creating original content on a local level or simply importing it from a national service. I also check to see how often new posts are published. And I take a quick look to see how good the content is: Are the headlines well written? Is there just an embedded video or audio file with no text description?
4. Is it obvious where this radio station is and what they play?
One of the best ways to see how good your station’s website performs is to run a usability test on it. At this point, I’ve run usability tests on enough radio station websites that I know some common issues to look out for.
One common issue is that the website does not make it clear where the radio station is, what type of programming the station airs, or even that it’s a radio station at all. When somebody tunes in to your station on the radio, of course they know what city it’s in — they’re in the same city!
But website visitors can come to your website from anywhere in the world. Often, they come by clicking on a link found on social media or in search engine results. So don’t assume that people who come to your website know what the radio station is all about. The homepage — especially the header — needs to make it very clear.
5. Is the language in the menu clear?
Another common issue that shows up in website usability tests is vague or confusing language in the main menu. For example, some stations will use the term “On Air” when they should use “DJs” (after all, aren’t the commercials and the music also “on air”?). Others will have a link for “Concerts” and another link for “Events” (aren’t concerts also events?).
Here are some common menu mistakes that I look for.
6. Are there clear calls to action?
The most important question you can ask when it comes to your radio station’s digital strategy is this: “When people come to our website, what do we want them to do?” I can usually tell if a station has asked this question just by looking at the site. Sometimes, they will be driving me to clear call to action, such as a big red “Listen Now” button or an email newsletter registration form.
Unfortunately, most radio station websites don’t steer me towards a few clear actions. Instead, they are cluttered with too much content, too many links, and too many choices. This is a sign that even if a radio station’s website is good at attracting visitors, it’s not very good at converting them. The station needs to set clear website goals.
By asking these questions, I can usually get a good sense of how a radio station’s website is performing. Yes, I always want to spend more time diving deeper into analytics before making a complete diagnosis, but this will do in a pinch.
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There are some good CMSs out there. For awhile I had been running OnAir2 through WordPress. I design my own sites and I had found a few problems with WordPress. Mainly, that it is a learning curve vs. other CMS, such as Drupal, which in my opinion, is far superior to WordPress. Unfortunately, no one makes a good radio theme for Drupal. Also, WordPress is a magnet for spam and security exploits. (Drupal also has some vulnerabilities to the latter, but it’s all about how the site is configured and assuring that the station keeps up with all security release updates..)
Currently, I am running all of my streaming stations on the Aiir (aiir.com) CMS. Unlike WordPress, it is ready to go without any learning curves to overcome. You can grant access to specific team members to manage the portions of the site that they are responsible for. Everything is clearly explained and for us advanced folks, there are certain “hacks” you can do in order to make it even more versatile for your station’s specific needs. Also, with the Aiir mobile apps, the entire platform is integrated, so you do not have to separately update the mobile app and the website. It’s all in one package. I also don’t have to worry about security updates as they come with the service.
You can see our Aiir websites at:
https://j1fm.tokyo
(This site has been heavily modded, but shows what the site is capable of..)
https://delmarvafm.org
As far as your list of things to look for on the station’s website, there’s a few more things I would be looking for:
(7) A link to the station’s Online Public Inspection File (if not an LPFM, even though LPFMs can get their own public file system through REC).
(8) A link to the station’s EEO Report.
(9) A link to the station’s contest rules.
(10) If the station is a pending application for an assignment or other specific application types, a link to their public notice.
All of these are FCC regulatory requirements for full-service stations.
Thanks for the great tips! As an “online-only” station, we focus heavily on SEO and Google Analytics to reach new listeners.
Of course, we’re always looking for ways to improve our website, too.
https://1620TheBear.com
Thank you for this fantastic post. Based on the information provided, I meet roughly 50% of what is suggested. I am learning SEO and the power of backlinks. Looks like I will have some fun this weekend auditing my station. Paul with https://80sradioforus.com