Don’t Let Your Website Content Get Stale
Business owners should be mindful that simply launching a new website isn’t a sure-fire way to get visitors to that site; it is only the very beginning of a new online marketing endeavor. A major part of marketing your business via your new website is making sure that your site’s content and copy is “fresh”. Just as traditional brick-and-mortar stores continuously update products, store layouts, and in-store promotional displays, website owners must do the same in order to stand out amongst competitors.
Here are some items to keep in mind, related to keeping your website content fresh:
1
Keeping your website’s content updated informs your customers that your business is keeping up with your particular industry. Don’t give your customers the impression that your company is stagnant.
2
Your website is part of your public image. Just as you probably wouldn’t want to let a brick-and-mortar business appear run-down, it’s also important to not let your public image depreciate due to an abandoned online storefront.
3
Everything else being equal, offering fresher and newer content raises the bar over your competition.
4
Search engines sometimes penalize websites that have stale content, and this often leads to reduced visibility of your business. Original, updated content is very attractive to search engines.
5
If you have “News” and “Events” pages on your website, be sure to continuously update those sections of your site. If you are still displaying press releases from a year ago (or more), for example, this gives your customers the impression that your website has been abandoned.
6
Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your customers and website visitors. They can definitely tell when a website’s content is stale, and they will often seek a “fresher” alternative – your competition.
7
Even something as simple as a copyright year in your website’s footer can play a role in how your customers perceive your business. Be sure that the copyright date displays the current year. (This can easily be automated via scripting languages such as PHP, ASP.NET, and VBScript.)
8
Make sure someone in your company is in charge of your website’s copy and content. Confusion over who is responsible can often lead to a neglected website.
9
If updating a website’s content via HTML is too cumbersome, consider implementing a content management system. While there are several off-the-shelf solutions available, Torx Media specializes in highly-tailored, yet affordable, custom content management solutions.
10
In addition to website content getting stale over time, your website’s actual design may also get stale. Web design trends change – often quickly – and it is important to show your customers that your business is not stuck in the past with a stale website design.
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