10 Reasons to update your website
Guest blogger - Brent Dickens from Pola Design
I have always believed that a website should reflect your business. It’s your storefront and often the first thing customers see.
Just like your business it should grow and change.
The problem is this isn’t easy. You need to keep on top of it as well as running your business so it often gets left in the too hard basket.
Reasons
Many business owners don’t realise the importance of updating their websites. Here are my top five.
One.
First impressions are important
People are used to seeing well-designed, up-to-date modern websites. They have high expectations.
Website visitors judge your website within a few seconds, so it’s critical to have a professional, appealing and engaging design.
Remember that your potential clients are comparison shopping, so you must look your best.
Two.
Google loves regularly updated websites
Google and other search engines favour current pages and posts.
That means that if your website is stale and hasn’t been updated in months or even years, it may drop in rankings.
Adding blog posts, case studies, service updates and testimonials to your website are great ways to keep things fresh and Google happy.
Three.
Your business grows, and things change
Over time, your business changes, and society changes.
You need to show that your business is still relevant to your customers. Think about highlighting new products and services you offer.
Industry trends you’re following or not.
Where you sit on new technology, legal changes, government regulations even lifestyle trends. This will impact your target market and potential clients. These changes require new pages, content, design and thought around how your website works.
So a shift in your business should lead to a shift in your website, too.
Four.
It doesn’t reflect your brand
Your brand is your personality and what people think of you. Over time your brand grows, your visual style changes and you develop new ways of working with clients plus you might develop new processes or follow methodologies that set you apart. You could specialise in specific tools or brands, and become a preferred supplier or subject expert.
Your website should reflect this growth.
Think of how you could demonstrate this with things like:
Intro packs
Info about your process or your values
Content on brands and tools you use
Quick tips and ideas that demonstrate your expertise Newsletters
Show everyone why they should work with you
Five. New design styles, technologies and business models arise
Over time things change, and better ways to work with clients are developed Some items are:
Mobile usage, does your site work well on a phone? E-commerce
Ways to pay like Afterpay and Laybuy
Subscription model pricing
Member areas with exclusive content appointment booking tools
Make sure your site reflects this.
Ultimately, it’s important to update your website regularly to ensure that it reflects your business and sets you apart.
About Pola Design:
Pola Design offers ongoing website support packages to make it super easy for clients to keep their site up-to-date and maintained on a monthly basis. All you do is pay a monthly fee for a certain number of updates and we do all the work.
Marketing advice that you can trust
If you would like to grow your skills or have someone to float marketing ideas with, I would love to help. Book a 1:1 coaching session with me or take a look at my upcoming workshops.
Email me (Mel) and mel@mazemarketing.co.nz for more info or phone 021 908 820.
Mel Zgomba - Director of Maze Marketing
