How many people launch their brand new website and over time completely forget about it?
You’ve just launched your brand new website and all the hard work is done. Or is it? The internet is constantly changing and evolving, and in order to succeed, your website needs to keep up. Refreshing your website content is one of the easiest ways to keep your website relevant, improve your SEO score, and ensure your website is always reflective of your business.
Let’s explore three of the most important reasons why you should refresh your website content:
Google Ranking and SEO
Search engines (such as Google) evaluate millions of websites every day, always searching for the most up-to-date and relevant information to show to a user. If your website is regularly updated with informative and interesting content that is specific to your business, search engines are much more likely to showcase your website to a user when they are searching for something your business provides. With a fast, accessible and well-designed website, this search engine user could turn into a potential customer!
Conversely, if your content hasn’t been touched in a long time, then search engine crawlers may not deem your content useful or relevant. In extreme cases where websites haven’t been updated for years, search engine crawlers may deem your website inactive.
As the owner of a website, content updates can often be an ongoing process, but have the potential to add substantial value to your business.
Representing your Business
Many potential customers will navigate straight to your website as a first port of call, to learn more about your business and the products and services you offer. Your website acts as a digital shopfront, leaving a positive or negative impression on every potential customer who visits it. Your website should be regularly updated to best reflect your company as it is in person – your business ethics, your latest developments and all of the products or services you offer.
If your website is regularly updated with current information, potential customers will be filled with confidence that your business is trustworthy, and invested in offering the best service to its customers. You may also see increased customer retention rates, as existing customers will revisit your website to view the newest business updates and offerings.
With the constant evolution of digital devices, don’t forget to check your website across a range of different devices. An accessible, responsive website will be able to adapt to a range of different screen sizes without compromising on visual impact or user experience. As a business owner, it’s vital your business is accurately represented on every possible device and platform.
Loading Speed and Average Engagement Time
How many times have you gone on to a website and found it took too long to load – so you gave up and left? Having an up-to-date website can also improve the website’s overall speed and performance, reducing the chances of visitors leaving your site. Aim to have your loading time less than 5 seconds to reduce the number of frustrated potential customers.
You can measure a range of different website metrics, but one of the most important is known as the ‘Average Engagement Time’. This metric refers to the amount of time a user was engaged with your website whilst visiting. This includes behaviours such as scrolling, clicking, reading and filling out forms. When your website is regularly refreshed with new content, website visitors will be encouraged to stay on your website and engage with it for longer, taking in the new content and engaging with it. If a user returning to your website sees old, irrelevant content, they may be quick to leave your site.
These are just three reasons why keeping your website updated and refreshing your website content is important. Having an up-to-date and relevant website will only benefit your business and strengthen your online presence.
