Does your website work? Really work? Is it driving traffic and revenue for your business? Are you getting a solid return on your website investment?
If you answered no to any of these questions, read on.
You may be thinking to yourself: I did everything right. I got a professional website design company to design a great looking website using a content management system and did some SEO work to help make sure I had the right focus and content.
But it just isn’t producing as I expected.
The problem is a common one. It’s called the “set it and forget it” syndrome.
You work really hard with your web developer at creating a beautiful and engaging business website, but then get busy and move on to other things letting your website languish and lose its appeal.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
One of the most often overlooked – yet most critical components – to any successful website strategy is ongoing maintenance.
While the initial website project is critical to creating the right foundation, the ongoing maintenance and upkeep are where you’ll really see your website shine. That is where you’ll really start to maximise the return on your investment.
Here are five reasons why you should be regularly maintaining your website:
1. To create the right impression for your business
Ever go to a business or networking meeting and get a business card from someone? One of the first things people do after they get back to the office is to look up the company’s website.
What is the first impression they get?
Is the “Latest News” 2 years old? Is the copyright date in the footer from 3 years ago? Did the “Monthly Special” expire last year? Is basic information outdated?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be leaving your prospects with a poor first impression of your company and leaving business on the table.
If your site is up-to-date, however, you will be communicating that your company is able to stay on top of things and communicate well. A company your prospect can trust.
2. Give your visitors a reason to come back
As they say in marketing, it is easier to keep a customer than to get a new one. What is one of the best ways to use online to achieve this?
Make sure you are providing relevant, up-to-date information that helps your prospects accomplish their goals. Perhaps this is your monthly newsletter and blog or the latest special offers.
By keeping your site current and informative, you begin to develop a solid trust relationship with your customers and prospects. This trust is hard to gain and easy to lose.
Help build their trust by providing the latest and most up-to-date information on your website.
3. Boost your search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engines love fresh content. The more often you update your website, the more often the search engines will visit your site and boost your rankings.
And the reverse is true as well. After a site has not been updated in a while, the search engines quit crawling it and your rankings may begin to drop for important keywords.
Not only does showing the search engines that your site has fresh content help to boost your rankings, but it also gives you more opportunities to rank for specific keywords.
4. Update the security on your website
If you are using a content management system (and you really should be) or any web-based software, then it is vitally important to keep it updated with the latest security patches and bug fixes.
You don’t have to be running an e-commerce site for hackers to want to break into your website. Often times, hackers will break into a website and upload Trojan and malware for use in their other attack schemes.
One of the primary ways hackers gain access to a site is through outdated software. As security patches become available, hackers will try to take advantage of websites that are not pro-active in updating the software on their sites.
The last thing you want is for your visitors to get infected by software downloaded from your site. If Google detects malware on your website, they will likewise delist your site until you get it fixed.
We now offer a service to update your site with the latest security patches and version software for a nominal monthly fee. Please enquire should you wish to make use of this service.
5. Make your website work by keeping up with new tech
The web is ever-growing and changing. New technology is constantly evolving for accessing your content. Is your website keeping up? Is it responsive and mobile friendly?
There are two common approaches to accommodating new technology. You can make regular but smaller incremental changes over time, or you can do a complete refresh every few years.
While a complete refresh is tempting and even sometimes needed, a better and more affordable approach is to make smaller incremental changes over time.
If you are not sure whether your site can benefit from any new advances in technology, ask your web developer to do a site audit for you.
Conclusion
Experience has shown us that updating and adding new content to your website will consistently improve its performance and increase your return on your investment.
Remember:
- Make the right impression
- Keep your visitors coming back
- Boost your search engine traffic
- Protect your visitors from the bad guys
- Keep up with technology changes
Maintain your website regularly and you will improve your bottom line!
- Can we help? We would love to discuss web design with you! to Contact Us!
- This blog post was updated on 21 November 2019