We see plenty of websites that are not updated very often. Any text content with an old date, for example an old news page or a copyright notice that hasn't been changed, is a sure sign that the website isn't getting much love.
It's incredibly easy to fall into this situation because you may be busy running other parts of your business. However, it's very important that you regularly update your website for several reasons:
- Website content that is obviously out of date is not the best way to impress your website visitors (to say the least). People are less likely to buy your products or services if they see old stuff on your site.
- Google wants to list the most relevant websites in its search results. It doesn't want to list old content if newer (and more relevant) content is available on other sites. Over time, if you do not update your website, it will will slowly fall down the rankings.
- A website should evolve just like your business. If you're doing things differently now, for example selling to a different and wider customer base, you need to review your website to see if it meets the demands of your customers today - not two years ago! New pages can be added or new functionality might be important. For example, perhaps you need to add a search function and/or organise the site content better.
- The web is a rapidly changing environment and website design and development methods are also changing and improving every year. It's easy to fall behind and, whilst this might not affect how your site is viewed in aesthetic terms, you won't be able to use the latest methods if you're not using modern code.
Right, that's settled then! With a new resolve, you've decided to update your website. In the next post, we'll give you a few ideas about how and when to update your site.