3 reasons to keep your website content updated
Having a website is one thing, but it shouldn’t just sit online in the background while you go about your business, and focus on your socials. Like all business assets, your website needs to be managed and have time invested in it. Many brands and businesses will focus on curating regular social posts, often prioritising social media above all else, yet sometimes their website gets neglected and left to fend for itself in the digital universe. However, like all things marketing, your website is a valuable ‘live’ asset that can make a real difference to your business when it’s effectively managed as part of your marketing and communications plan.
Of course we could write a book on why a website is important, along with how to transform it into a valuable marketing asset that actively grows your business, but you haven’t got all day, right? So, focussing on the basics, here are just 3 really important reasons to keep your website fresh, relevant and up-to-date.
1. It reflects your business in the here & now
How frustrating is it when you visit a website and it’s peppered with old information, discontinued products and services, out-of-date pricing, and people that have long-since left the business and moved on? Worse still, wrong phone numbers and email addresses, old postal addresses and inaccurate contact forms…the list goes on…but it’s not uncommon! The same can be said of out-of-date images, expired offers and promotions, and old news and blog posts - especially when the most recent blog you posted was in 2021 - this is not a good look. One or multiple errors like these on your website not only confuses visitors, it annoys them and they’ll quickly move away if they feel frustrated by it. Out-of-date content reflects badly on your business and it can lose custom too. Worse case scenario is that it can make people wonder whether you’re even in business anymore.
To make sure you don’t lose face, custom and enquiries, make sure your website is regularly updated to reflect your business as it is today, in the now. Update it with fresh imagery and content, latest offers and promotions and current blogs, and ensure all the mechanisms that harvest leads i.e. contact forms, numbers and emails, and social links, all work efficiently and point to the right place! And, of course, when things like offers, events and promotions have expired, make sure you remove or archive them out of sight. Imagine you’re doing a limited time 20% discount, for example. It expires and then its stays on your website long after. That’s only going to upset people when you revert to full price i.e. here’s what you could have paid!
2. It’s vital for attracting visitors & generating enquiries & leads
In short, fresh, updated content is good for SEO which will increase the number of people visiting your website. Google regularly ‘visits’ your website and it favours sites that regularly update their content with information that’s relevant to their business. Not doing this simply nudges your website down the rankings, and this is where your competitors will gain an advantage. In an instant world, people searching on Google rarely venture beyond page 1, so being nudged down will damage your prospects of being seen and considered. When we manage websites for clients, in almost every case, the blog page is the most visited page outside of the homepage. Why? Because when people search on Google (and other search engines), they are usually looking for something they need or want, and/or they’re looking for answers to questions and solutions to problems.
Here’s a simple ‘For Example’ featuring a hair salon, although this scenario plays out for any business regardless of what you do.
If someone moves into a new area or starts a job in a new location, or their usual hairdresser has left and they want to look for a new salon, they’ll most likely search for something like ‘hairdressers in Cobham’, or ‘hairdressers near me’. They’ll least likely know exactly what salon they want to check out e.g. ‘Hairflair Hair Design in Cobham’. Also, people may be looking for hair care advice, tips and products to solve specific hair and scalp problems, or a particular service, such as, ‘salons in Cobham that offer a hair spa service’ or ‘salons in Cobham that offer scalp treatments’. In these instances you’ll want to be in contention.
As a result, having good content that’s written to maximise your SEO potential, and posting regular updates and blogs, will boost your visibility and rankings. The bottom line is that if you’re seen you can be considered, but you can’t attract site visits or enquires and sales if you’re invisible. From a marketing perspective, having a Google Business profile and considering Google Ads will also promote your business online and attract visitors to your site.
3. It defines & differentiates your brand & image
Image is important. In fact, it’s everything. Ask yourself. How many times have you been looking for something online and quickly gravitated to websites that you like the look and feel of? Some clunky old site that looks amateurish and out-of-date might have the best deal, but do you trust and believe in them? Unlike social media, where every brand presents its content within the same structures, your website is your owned space in which you can define your image, style and identity. Using the hair salon example, how can you entrust a salon with your personal image if they have a poor image online and their expertise is presented badly? If you’re looking for a restaurant, would you scan websites and book into a restaurant that looks the worst online? Would you trust their culinary skills when their website is unappetising? Not likely!
More than any other digital asset, your website is your brand space and more people will visit it than you are ever likely to come into personal contact with. Your website is your presentation, your pitch, your showcase, your brochure, your reputation and your sales opportunity. We’ve met so many businesses that are amazing, and that do amazing things, but their website makes you think otherwise…it doesn’t quite live up to the reality. Your website should set the bar for what customers and clients can expect of you. It should elevate their sense of belief in you and what you do, present you in the absolute best light and accentuate everything you’re fantastic at. If your website fails to do justice to your business, it will fail to deliver the customers you’re hoping it will attract, while gifting the advantage to competitors who are getting it absolutely right. Above all else, us humans are visual creatures, so make sure your website shows you and your business at its finest and it will pay dividends.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog and we welcome any comments.
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