The importance of a website update

Imagine this:  You’re planning an exciting surprise weekend away.  You contact two different hotels in the heart of the area you’re going to explore, and you ask that they send you information.  HOTEL #1 mails you an outdated brochure, with photos of employees sporting 80’s blazers and comb-overs in a dark brass-emblazoned lobby.  HOTEL #2 sends you a glossy, die-cut brochure with bright smiling faces that look thrilled to be working in a welcoming and modern environment.  They’ve even included current local coupons and an itinerary of local events!

According to the photos you find online, which of these hotels would you book with? 

Does your online presence make your company look like this?

Or look like this? 

It is entirely possible that both hotels offer amazing customer service.  And perhaps the brass décor of the first hotel is much more charming and “authentic” in person.  But if a company doesn’t work to prove to you that they have these qualities, why would you consider them as an option?  Your time and money are valuable.  A company should earn the privilege of you spending any of it on and with them.

It works the same way on the internet and with websites.  You wouldn’t ever send prospective clients an outdated brochure, so why have them visit an outdated website?  And consider your search engine providers:  Why would Google choose to display an outdated, irrelevant website on the first page of search results?  They have tons companies, every day, that are simply dying to get their new, shiny, fun and exciting website out in front of waiting eyes.  Remember: Search engines are businesses.  They want people to keep using their service.  So they want to provide their users with up-to-date, attractive and relevant website results.  Companies that actually got a responsive website update.

It is important that you get a website update!

Relevant site content is in-depth text on your pages to describe your current service or product.  It can also include your business achievements, goals and news.  Even if your services haven’t changed in the past five years, chances are, the way the industry works or how people view your services HAVE changed.  Especially when they are viewing you through the eyes of the internet.  Your website should convey to readers that your business is up to par with your competition and that you’re always striving to meet the needs of your customers.

So how important is it that you get your responsive website update?  Well, that depends on how important it is to you that your potential clients find you, and when they do, they like what they see.  One would assume, that’s pretty important to you.  Google wants you to get a responsive website update.  Bing wants you to get a responsive website update.  Yahoo, Yelp, MerchantCenter.com and MapQuest all want you to get a responsive website update.  Because the better you look, the better they look.  So if you want to be on the top of their list… Make sure you get a responsive website update and consider the following:

• Page Rank:  This is how they decide your popularity, by examining the number of quality outside links that point to your page.  Pages with a higher page rank are deemed more important than those with a lower ranking score.  You can gain outside links by having “share-worthy” content on your website that other sites think is good enough to share and link to.
• Page and Site Content: Do your website’s pages contain interesting and helpful content about your industry and services?  Does your text include relevant keywords and SEO in the appropriate places?  Are your web pages talking about relating topics?  These guys will scan your website for this stuff.  So a consistent website update with new content to improve your content and build up your SEO is important.
• Relevancy: Useful content makes it so much easier to know what your website is all about.  BONUS: Posting new content gives search engines a reason to scan your website more often!  Sites that are frequently updated also keep readers interested.  No one wants to waste their time reading outdated text.  Their time would be better spent sweeping off the patio in a sandstorm.  Your competitors are out there talking about the latest news in your industry.  They update their website and as a way of proving their quality to their potential clients.  …why aren’t you?
• Responsive:  What is RESPONSIVE?  When a website is responsive, it automatically adjusts and aligns to the screen size of your viewer.  A majority of online shopping and browsing is done on mobile sources: smart phones and tablets.  If your website isn’t viewing correctly on your reader’s screen, how long do you expect them to stay on your webpage?  As of 2014, a website getting a responsive update isn’t just a perk…it’s quickly becoming a necessity.  As the internet speeds get faster, viewers’ patience levels get shorter.  They want immediate gratification, which leaves no time for a website to look or act outdated.

Even Forbes says so.  And they said it a while ago…  Click to read “Why your business needs a responsive website before 2014″ 

Yes, a responsive website update is important. It’s easier than you think to give your website a responsive upgrade.  And it’s easier than you think to keep your content relevant.  Check your website every month.  Keep an eye on social media within your industry and by actively blogging about industry-related topics, your site will be scanned more often.  Blogs are a great opportunity for keywords and for visitors to return to your site to see what’s new!

Take home message: Yes, get a responsive website update.  Yes, it’s important.  You can’t compete unless you’re in the competition, and this is how today’s game is played.