Many clients come to us have their site built and then allow it to get to the point of disrepair, before another massive overhaul has to take place. This is not the best method. Your website is your most important marketing tool and you should treat it as so, by routinely investing time into it. Don’t treat it as a one off project but instead look at your site as an ongoing commitment.

Reguarly Update your Web Site
If you update your current site there may be no need for a complete redesign; it can be more a case of making your existing website work harder. I have seen many a site which is visually appealing and functions smoothly yet doesn’t yield results. Often in this instance a small tweak to the layout can yield impressive results and pay for itself instantly. The user needs to get to key content quickly and this is the main thing we consider when revamping a site. Sometimes however a revamp is not enough; some sites are simply too far behind the times and therefore need a full redesign.

Write a News Blog
A popular update when revamping sites is to add a blog page. This creates fresh content and is the main way to get Google to search your page, even the smallest change can have a huge impact, as it encourages the user to come back and gives the impression that the website is being managed and cared for. Many of our customers are now featuring a CMS (Content Management System) in their site so they can update sections of their site with fresh news articles etc. Another way to remind users to come back again is to create links to your articles on Newsletters and RSS feeds; this will instantly tell users when updates have been made giving them a reason to come back to your site. If the user likes the content of your writing they will begin to trust in your knowledge; this could lead to you becoming an authority figure in your field giving your company further kudos.

Spread your Workload
When writing articles for your site some customers are concerned that they wont have time to write articles consistently; well the best solution is to keep your pieces relatively short and to the point; you don’t need to write an essay. Also you could rotate the role of author within the company thus spreading out the workload.

Place trust in your Web Site
The reason many customers are wary of investing more of their marketing budget into online marketing is because they have been cultivated in an era where print paraphernalia (posters, flyers, magazine adverts, yellow pages etc) was the only way to market and therefore it became ingrained within the various individuals. It is fine however to have print paraphernalia as well, just make sure that it acts as a drive towards your website; make your website the cornerstone of your marketing campaign. Another reason to update your site and keep on top of it is that it will be cheaper for you in the long term; so treat it as a constantly evolving entity. When writing for copy for your website you should write in a different way to how you would normally. Your content needs to be keyword rich; this will all help when being found in search engines.

Treat your Web Site as a long term project
So when your shiny new website has been put live make sure that you regularly polish it and treat in as an ongoing project. Remember your site is for life; not just for lanchday. If you want advice on how we can improve your existing site please get in touch by clicking here.

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