Check your website right now. Is it up to date? Well, if it’s not you’re missing out on a lot more business than you think. Remember, if your prospects can’t find you they’re going to find your competitors!
Here are six reasons why your website’s content should be kept up to date:
1. Fresh content keeps your customers connected to your organization
People visit websites for a number of reasons like comparison shopping, research, finding products and services or simply just to contact you. A frequently updated website with fresh, unique, current, relevant and interesting content indicates that something is always happening within your organization.
Sharing your knowledge and skills in your area(s) of expertise with your audience, lets them know that you care, you understand their needs and you can help provide the results they are looking for. At the end of the day you want people to know, like, and trust you enough to do business with you continuously.
2. More rich, engaging and relevant content helps to improve your search rankings
The job of the search engine is to provide users with the most relevant as well as recent results and information related to their search. Users are becoming more and more detailed in the phrases and search terms used, in turn the content added to your website should be relevant to your products or services offered, topics at hand and your target audience.
New content provides an avenue for creating more keywords that are related to the products or services that you provide. The more a website is updated with relevant content the more it is rewarded with a higher search page rank. Always remember your audience is made up of your current customers and prospective ones. The easier it is for them to find you the better!
3. Outdated information is bad for business
If your website has not been updated in a while, chances are there may be information that is inaccurate. For example, your office may have moved or a phone number was changed but the contact information still reflects the old address or phone number. Sometimes links to other websites that you may make reference to may be broken, some of your products and services may no longer be offered or new ones have been added.
Updating your content regularly ensures that your website is presenting the most accurate description of your business thus boosting user confidence.
4. Gain more exposure, increase your engagement and reap the rewards
The more interesting and relevant your content is to the user, the more likely they notice it and discuss it whether it be on their favourite social media site, via email or on their personal blogs. Your current and prospective clients or customers will always share the links to content that is relevant and important to them.
Bloggers and other users are most times on the lookout for new and interesting links to feature on their sites, not only does this attract new users to your site it can improve your search rankings. Every time a potential customer interacts with your content, you get an opportunity to gain valuable insight on their current and future needs.
5. Stay ahead of the competition, after all they’re competition right?
Not updating your content regularly, gives your competitors the advantage, just as your competitors not updating their site will give you the advantage. The majority of consumers do research online before they decide to buy. Your website is often times one of the first and most important destinations a customer will seek to get more information before making a purchase.
Keep ahead of your competitors by consistently adding quality content that directly engages your target audience. Always provide your customers with solutions for popular issues, useful tips, and information about new products and services in your market and watch them return for more of what you have to offer.
6. Create the right impression of your business
The saying “first impressions are the most lasting” can also be applied to your website. Have you ever visited a website with outdated information? Perhaps the content is a few weeks old, maybe even a few months or years. Think about how you felt after taking the time to search and find it. If you felt like you wasted your time or perhaps that the company may no longer be operational, well that’s exactly what a person who visits your website will think or feel if it’s not up to date.
Your website is your business’ shop front, while the business may be physically closed after work hours your website is always ‘open’ and should be ready to welcome users at all times. If there is no new content when visitors arrive they may lose interest in the site, furthermore your business.
On the other hand if your content is fresh, useful and helpful to them in some way, chances are they will bookmark the page with intent to revisit the site at a later date to see what’s new or to do business with you.
What are you waiting for? Update your content now!
Your website should always represent what’s happening now in your business. Give your potential customers a reason to do business with you, build their confidence by keeping content up to date.
