So, you own a beautiful website that perfectly epitomises your business. Your copy is flawless and your images tick all of your brand values. But, why are you not getting the traffic, revenue and return on investment that you were expecting?
A big reason why many people don’t get the results they expect from a website is because they don’t put in the time or investment to keep their website updated. Once the site is live – apart from the odd content addition – nothing changes. Software ages, opportunities are missed and their website starts to lose its impact.
Why is it important to keep your website updated? Ensuring your website is regularly maintained is a crucial part of your online marketing strategy. It ensures your website can function to its best ability, improving user experience and boosting brand reputation.
Show your website some TLC and it will work harder, faster and better for you.
Read our 6 top reasons why you should keep your website updated and maintained.
First impressions matter, and your website is a fantastic way to make sure you leave a good one.
Does everything work the way it should? Is your last update on ‘current news’ four years ago? Are you still promoting events and offers that ended last summer?
It’s important that everything (including the content) on your site is kept up-to-date, as this shows that you are a conscientious, trustworthy business that knows how to stay on top of things. Plus, by making it clear to your audience that your website isn’t going to stagnate and that, instead, you are dedicated to keeping it fresh and current, you give readers a reason to come back, time and time again.
If you keep your website updated and maintained, you will also be making sure that your software and plugins are as effective as possible. This will make your website faster, easier to navigate and more mobile-friendly.
This is crucial because this is your chance to nudge your readers in the right direction; to encourage them to stay on your site for longer and take action. Which, let’s face it, is the ultimate goal!
Psst – check out our top 10 tips to keeping users on your site for longer for more inspiration here.
Regularly updating your website plays a huge role in your search engine rankings.
Google loves new content; it’s one of the core factors when it comes to ranking criteria. They also value speed as it leads to a stronger user experience, leading to lower bounce rates and longer reader retention.
It will therefore work in your favour to keep your site continuously refreshed and with up-to-date, speed and user focused systems and plugins. You’ll keep search engines happy, find more new readers visiting your site and, ultimately, better conversion rates.
Another vital factor when it comes to website updates is that it ensures you are covered with the latest security patches and bug fixes.
One of the main ways hackers access a site is through outdated software; and you don’t have to be an e-commerce site for them to take advantage. Hackers are known to break into sites and upload Trojan and malware, infecting visitors and potentially leaving you delisting from Google.
Basically? This is one to avoid at all costs.
A big part of keeping your website updated is regularly checking in with what needs changing; this includes what, perhaps, hasn’t been working so well.
This is a valuable practice that all businesses should tie into their internal work. This should include everything from the effectiveness of your content (such as different calls to action, designs and how your copy and images feed into it, and how you lay out your reader journey) to the online tools you have in place.
By dedicating regular time to see how things are working, you can continuously improve your marketing efforts and outreach to your ideal clients and customers.
Let’s face it; the internet is forever growing and changing. Every day we are presented new, exciting technology, with endless options for your audience to access your content. The question is, are you making the most of it?
And it doesn’t have to be a huge job. Small, incremental changes on a regular basis to your website technology will result in a more efficient, affordable approach that guarantees you are keeping up with all the latest trends.
Yes!
Here at Littlebigbox, we offer a website maintenance subscription service for all clients. With this service, we will totally take over your monthly website updates, including maintaining your software and tying in the right, most recent plugins.
We see it as taking a big weight off of your mind. Because we want your website to thrive, from the moment you launch it into the world right through to years and years down the line.
To find out more about our website subscription service, please contact april@littlebigbox.co.uk
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