4 Great Reasons to Maintain Your Website
It can be tough owning your own business. There never seems to be enough hours in the day. You’ll have worked hard and put a lot of time, and possibly money, in to get yourself up and running. The colour on your business cards has probably changed numerous times, but now they look perfect. You’ve been to every networking event you could find and can now reel off your elevator pitch in your sleep.
And your website. That could have been a bit of an investment, but it looks great! That’s that then, isn’t it? Well, no, not really.
Your website has the potential to be one of your business’s most valuable assets. But if it’s been left to languish without any ongoing attention from you, you could be missing out. People have a very short attention span online, and a distinct lack of patience. If your website is failing to deliver, you could be losing potential customers.
We know that keeping your website maintained may not be top of your list of priorities. It can be so difficult finding space in your schedule to spend time focusing on your own business. But it is so important, and here are four very good reasons why:
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Updates keep security tight to protect your business and your visitors
Arguably the most important reason of all. Making sure all the technical stuff is up to date helps to keep your website and its visitors safe. Hackers search the internet for websites with vulnerabilities that they can take advantage of. Make sure that’s not you by staying on top of security updates and bug fixes.
Do you have an SSL certificate? This is an absolute must when it comes to having a secure and professional looking website.
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Regular improvements to usability will keep visitors happy
Everyone knows that first impressions count. You only get one shot to tell outsiders who you are. Having a lovely, well maintained website reflects positively on your business. You look professional. You look like you care. An up-to-date website is going to attract new customers and keep them coming back.
Performance: There is nothing worse than going on a website that doesn’t work properly or runs really slowly. Maintaining your website will help keep its performance in tip-top condition. Don’t forget to back up your site before updating!
Usability: Make sure you don’t have any broken links or links that redirect visitors to unrelated pages. The last thing you want to do is frustrate the user because they probably won’t return. Does your contact form still work? Send a quick test to yourself to find out. Things do break on a website for seemingly no reason. Frustrating, but true.
Appearance:Does the way your website looks reflect your business? Are any offers still relevant? Is your blog or news section up to date? Are your contact details still all correct and easy to find? Regular content updates give visitors a reason to come back.
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Maintaining your site can improve your search engine ranking
Ranking well on search engines like Google is vital if you want potential customers to find your business on the internet. Keeping your website search engine friendly is a huge help with this.
Fresh, relevant and well-written content is a great way improve your search engine ranking. Google favours sites that look like they’re receiving some love from their owners. A better search engine ranking means more visitors.
Use your analytics data about site visitors to plan your site updates. See which pages are getting most activity. Are there new keywords you could be targeting?
Granted, it can be hard to find the time to work on fresh website content. But remember, a website with regular content updates is going to drive traffic and hopefully sales. Time well spent.
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An up-to-date website means a business that cares
If you land on a website that looks unloved and has offers from two years ago still on their homepage, you can’t help but wonder if they’re still in business.
A well-maintained, current site will immediately give the impression that you’re a professional outfit. And if you care about your website, surely you’ll care about your customers?
Creating that positive impression will help convert visitors into customers.
If you just can’t find the time or don’t have the know-how to keep your website in ship shape, we may just be able to help. Get in touch today and ask for a free website review. At Example Marketing we’ve built our business to help you grow yours.