How hard is it to keep a website updated?
It is a common experience for one to visit a website and find content that was created and posted 12 years ago. This is because many website owners never bother to update their websites and once the site is up, little is done to maintain it.
For a blog, one does not need to worry about keeping the website updated because blogs are meant to have fresh content as regularly as possible. This is the same case with eCommerce websites which are always full of new products.
However, corporate websites or business websites may not be regularly updated, and this is more common with small businesses that may not have a lot of content to post online. They also may not have the resources to do that. However, keeping websites updated is a very important factor today and every website owner should take it seriously.
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Why you need to Keep Websites Updated
There are several reasons that necessitates this.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engines are the online maps that help us navigate the internet. These are services such as Google Search and Bing, and without these the possibility of being found online comes close to zero.
Search engines have a high propensity for liking new stuff and this means that you need to keep creating new content to remain relevant. There are a few exceptions to this, but generally, you need to have fresh content to remain relevant.
Users
Websites are meant for people and people need fresh content to keep engaging with your website. If you need users to keep flocking to your site, you need to keep providing them with fresh content all the time.
In some cases, information can be static if it is expected that it is useful to new visitors or if it is the location of your business which may not change. However, you need to update the page once in a while in order to give your website a fresh look.
What you can do to Keep Content Updated
After creating your website, here are a few things you can do.
Update Old Content
If you have content that has been sitting on your website for a long time, you can consider giving it a fresh lease of life. This could involve checking to ensure that all information is correct and has not been outdated, or also adding new information that has been ‘discovered’ recently.
For example, if you had created a guide on how to do something in 2016, you can update this to reflect the current year or any situation that has changed. People will appreciate it more when they see that whatever information you are putting across is recent and this really matters a lot. No one wants to read an archaic guide.
Share Industry Information
One reason why people never add new content to their websites is because they do not know what to write.
The best content you can create is the one related to the industry which you are in. The world is full of information that many people can appreciate. Sharing information relevant to your brand can help you raise your brand awareness and get people to know you. It will also help build your authority in the specific field, something good for your business or brand.
To get this information, you need to know information that is related to your industry. It helps if you keep trying to gain more information for such purpose
Write About Current Affairs
What is happening in your line of business or profession?
You may be surprised most people outside that field have no idea. The little they know is what finds itself in the news. But even news depends on sources in the industry to update them and this source could be you!
One thing you can do is try and keep up with trends and news that relates to your blog. This you can then share it out through your website. This way, people will know that they can always come to your website when they need to know what is happening in the industry.
Write Interesting Information
You don’t need to keep it all professional. In many cases, people are looking for information that will raise their dopamine levels and just be happy.
To do this you will need to be creative and know what can interest your potential audience. You also need to draw the line between becoming a tabloid and being professional. Other information that can interest people would be something like job offers.
Get a Professional Content Creator
You do not need to to kill yourself of you are not able to generate content for your website. One approach you can take is to hire somebody to be doing it for you. There are many agencies that offer web design and can also maintain a website for a fee. These can take the pressure off you so that you focus on your core business. If you need a website and you do not have the time to keep the content afresh, you can always pay somebody to find it.
Conclusion
Whatever you plan to do to achieve this, it is important to keep your website updated all the time. Failure to do so might make you irrelevant online. It is as good as not having a website.