Many have speculated stagnation is death. The only constants in life are change and more change. If you’re not improving, you’re getting worse. If you’re not getting better, you’re getting beat. When it comes to your online presence and website content services, these statements couldn’t ring more true.

If your website is out-of-date, your offerings will soon be viewed in a similar light by customers. Your website is a living, breathing part of your business that requires the same type of management to stay in tip-top shape.

What makes matters worse is the fact that your customers are not the only ones who will feel let down when they view your website. Search engines, such as Google, will be blinded to your website if you’re not continually pumping out the content you need to succeed.

Always remember, most of the time your website is the first impression of your business. It should always look professional and everything should work correctly 100% of the time. No broken links, no dead pages, no misspelled words or bad grammar.

 

5 Ways to Know It’s Time to Update?

Luckily, it’s relatively simple to tell when your website is ready to be spruced up with some fresh content and a design overhaul. All you have to do is pay attention to these five signs. If any one of them show up on your current website, then it’s time for a change. It’s time to hire experienced content marketers and get some persuasive website content working for your business.

 

1. Slacking On Security

The world wide web is a dangerous place. There are millions of hackers all around the world who would love to steal your client’s information. Theft of information is definitely not the consequence you want, especially when you’ve worked so hard to establish brand loyalty. Luckily, there are a few quick fixes that ensure your security stays top notch.

First, don’t ever expect your hosting company to handle security. They give you a home on the web, but it’s your responsibility to protect it. The first step for a secure site is to always keep it updated. Update themes and plugins as they are required. If you let a plugin sit un-updated for months, that’s when attacks happen. Hackers can slip in the backend of your site through an old plugin.

Next, you’ll want privacy and security features that cost extra. The few extra dollars a month will save you thousands down the road. It’s well worth the marginal investment.

 

2. Your Clients Hate It

Your website is an extension of your business. Many run their whole operation through a website. If you cannot manage your website properly and ensure everything works efficiently, it shows negatively to your products or services as a whole.

If customers complain about your website – it needs updating, and fast! If consumers think your web design is old, then they may assume your products and services are outdated, too. This is where website content services come in. Keeping your clients happy with regards to your site is simple. Make sure you have a professional, sleek design, fresh content and that everything is in working order.

 

3. Out Of Date

Times change. And so does the focus of your business and brand. If you created a website back in the day that aligned with your business strategy then, you may find the content is now out of date because you have switched directions in order to tackle a different market or segment. Chances are your marketing strategies and slogan have changed at least once, if not many times, over the course of the last five years. Your website must change with it. It must stay in alignment with your brand and the goals of your company. If it doesn’t, then it’s not helping your business. It’s actually hurting it!

 

4. Mobile Unfriendly

Let me make one thing incredibly clear: if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, then it’s 50% less effective than it could be! That’s because web traffic is split down the middle these days with 50% computer-based and 50% mobile-based usage. If your clients aren’t easily and effectively able to visit your site on their cell phones and tablets, then they’ll find another company to browse on their mobile devices.

Getting your business website responsive is of the utmost importance if you’re still not mobile-friendly. There are numerous responsive themes available that offer automatic web and mobile optimization.

 

5. It’s Embarrassing

If you don’t include your website on your business cards, you may be embarrassed by your antiquated web design. If you don’t display your site on your LinkedIn profile, it could be because you’re ashamed of it. If someone asks for your URL at a networking event and you change the subject, chances are you need to get rid of that old web design ASAP.

A major sign your business website needs updating is when you’re embarrassed to share the URL with potential clients. If you find yourself ashamed of your web presence, then stop all your other projects and get your online act together immediately!

 

How Often Do You Need to Update?

How often you update your business website will be determined by a few factors. An update could mean adding content in the form of a new page or blog post. This should happen quite frequently. Changing themes, adding a different payment processor, or completely changing the design of your site should be less frequent.

 

A Major Overhaul

If you haven’t updated your layout and design for quite some time, then a full overhaul may be necessary. If your site isn’t responsive and mobile friendly then a full redesign is a must.

Websites that haven’t been incrementally updated for 3-5 years will almost always need a complete redesign. Anything that hasn’t been updated for more than five years will require a redesign if you want to continue using the site for business purposes with the same URL.

 

Incremental Updates

To avoid the need to entirely redesign your website, you can try to incrementally update. This has proven to be the best option for some company websites. The easiest way to continually update your site is by looking at all the data, checking usability, and constantly testing different aspects of your site.

By incrementally changing the design through layout tweaks, logo changes, widget and plugin additions, and providing new content, you can avoid the need for a full redesign. This can save you thousands of dollars and a lot of energy over the long haul.

 

Content Updates

To stay in good graces with Google and the other search engines, you’ll need to continually stay on top of your content. Updating pages, adding pages and creating new blog articles should all be a part of your content creation and updating strategy.

If you have a decent base of content already, all you’ll need to do is update your blog on a frequent basis (the more the merrier). This is especially true if you’ve already created evergreen content. Pages should be updated as needed to reflect changes and additional services.

 

The Top 4 Benefits of Updating Your Website Content

So why should you update your content? Well, there are a million and one reasons to do so, but let’s start with the big four.

 

1. Google. Google. Google

Harping on keeping Google happy may seem obnoxious, but the only way you’ll get heaps of free, organic traffic to your website is by playing Google’s algorithm game. That means constructing your website in a manner that it will be organically ranked.

Every experienced content marketer knows Google has bots that continually search the web for new content. Every time these bots find an update, they send the info back to Google and then the search engines are updated accordingly. This boosts your overall ranking with Google every time it happens.

Thus, you’ll want to continually make changes and updates to keep Google happy. That includes lots of new blog posts and adding additional content to pages. Even a visitor commenting below one of your blog posts is considered an update by Google.

 

2. Become THE Authority

By publishing more and more content, you will start to gain some following in your industry or niche. This is what you want! Search engines pick up on this “authority” your website has garnered and begins placing your site higher in the search rankings for your keywords.

When you start to build authority, you’ll begin to see loyalty from your fans and users. This will allow you to compete with the big businesses in your industry. Loyalty cannot be bought in today’s marketplace, only earned. Build authority, gain loyalty, and make more money!

 

3. Hit More Keywords

There’s another not-so-complex reason why continually updating your site with fresh content helps your business. With each and every word you publish, you’ll be able to hit more and more keywords. The more keywords your site shows up for, the more traffic you’ll get for free.

While Google hates keyword stuffed content these days, you still need to use keywords within your niche to get listed in the search engines top pages. Focus on finding great keywords and including them in well-written articles, where they sound natural, not stuffed.

 

4. Valuable Info Creates Loyalty

By continually updating content, you’ll be able to engage your audience and keep them informed and up-to-date. Your customers and readers will thank you when you continually offer them the information they need and want. If the information is valuable to them, they will reward you over the long haul with their loyalty and repeat business.

 

The Professional Content Writing Services You Need

Ready for a change? Looking to make the most out of your online presence? Is the time now to step up your online game? Tired of leaving Internet-based money on the table?

We feel your pain. Outdated content can hinder even the most successful of businesses and search engines can be difficult to please if you don’t know the latest algorithm. So we want to help. At iWebContent, we specialize in:

• Crafting the killer content your business needs to succeed
• Designing responsive websites that leave your clients impressed
• Boosting organic traffic to your website
• And other great lead generating strategies

If you’re ready to shine up your online presence and make a difference to your bottom line using your website, then get in touch. We look forward to putting it to work for you.

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