We’re wrapping up this series on winning websites with a discussion on updating. A winning website advances your business goals by being purposefully created and strategically marketed. Even the best of the best though, gets dated. Changing trends isn’t the only reason to update a site either. If you have repeat customers, which we all want, keeping the site fresh also keeps it interesting.
A word of caution though: updating a website isn’t like merchandising in a physical store. Retailer love to have new displays and move things around. With websites, makeovers aren’t needed for at least a year, and many of our clients continue to do very well with basically the same look for several years.
Content refreshing is different. You don’t want to throw your customers off when they’re looking for their favorite product or to book an appointment. What they are interested in are new offerings, discounts, and insider information. Here are some ideas for keeping it fresh.
1. One easy way to get a steady stream of new content is to integrate one of your social feeds. That is, showing your new Facebook or Instagram posts on your home page.
2. A page dedicated to new products or services is a good idea IF you can add to it at least once a month. You can also up your marketing game by messaging customers each time you add something, bringing them to the page, and thereby, to your site where they might just look around some other pages too.
3. A newsletter or blog provides new content regularly, and again, can be distributed as well as viewed on the site.
4. Photo updates are a great way to keep things fresh when there really isn’t much change happening. Before and after images for services, or new ways to style or use products, reinforce your brand message without being repetitive.
5. While you do need to keep all content on brand, consider your employees for potential content. For example, if you are a plumbing company and an apprentice just earned his ticket, that’s great content to add to your site.
6. Sales event announcements are always of interest! These are best planned well in advance, and we can help with marketing to ensure the content is targeted at the best audience.
Summing up on winning websites, you want one because it will make you more money. To get one, you need to work with us to define your target market, hone your brand, clarify your site’s purpose, initiate active SEO and SEM campaigns, and keep your content fresh.
View more articles from this series:
A Winning Website – Part 1: Why You Want One
A Winning Website – Part 2: Your Target Market
A Winning Website – Part 3: Honing Your Brand
A Winning Website – Part 4: Clarity in Purpose
A Winning Website – Part 5: Revving Up The Search Engines
A Winning Website – Part 6: Keeping It Fresh
