Why You Should Keep Your Website Up To Date

A good website is like buying a new electrical item or household appliance. If you want to keep it working at its best, you need to make sure you maintain it. Launching a new website takes a lot of hard work. It is not a simple task of creating a site and publishing it, which is why DBS Digital is here to offer its Website Maintenance Service to help you with your challenging business needs. There is a lot more involved if you want a website that works and actually drives traffic. Unfortunately, some people think the work is over once they have launched the website when this is not the case. Now that you have a brand new and amazing website, it is vital that you keep your website up to date. If you don’t, all the hard work could go to waste. We will explain why in this article.

Freshen up your content regularly

Start by reviewing your content – a task that is simple to do and should be in your diary on a monthly basis if it isn’t already. If you have new products, company news, or a new member of staff, make sure you add it to your website. Keeping your content fresh and changing it on a regular basis has a host of benefits. It makes your website more interesting for returning customers to see new information. It shows visitors that your website is kept up to date and has been recently updated.

Incorrect or old information can be off-putting and confusing to customers. They are visiting your site for a reason and if the information they see is no longer relevant (or worse – incorrect) this does not provide them with a sense of confidence in the company, which can ultimately lead to a loss of sales.

Search engines also favour sites that are kept up to date and updated on a regular basis. If you want to boost your SEO, make sure you factor website updates in. If you are wanting to boost your search rank and user experience then SEO Services and Website Maintenance Services are 100% for you.

Here are some quick and easy ways to update your content

• Write blog articles and articles with relevant guides and top tips
• Remove any old product information and replace it when necessary
• Update the team page as your team grows
• Add promotions for a certain amount of time to try and boost sales

Stay ahead of your competition

Unfortunately, a new website alone is rarely enough to stay ahead of the competition. If you have spent time and money on a new website, it probably won’t be long before your competitors do the same. What can help you stay ahead of the game is keeping your website up to date, working with your Website Designers & Developers to research the latest trends and ensure your website is as best as it can possibly be. Small changes on a regular basis can make a huge difference. Don’t be tempted to just sit back and relax once your website is launched, there is always something new that could be changed to make the user experience better.

Security

Website security is or should be a high priority for companies and the last thing you want is a website that isn’t secure. The world of cybersecurity is forever changing, so this is something you and your web team need to keep on top of. Fix any potential security vulnerabilities as and when you find them and always ensure you update your website regularly with the latest security updates. Not doing this can result in a website that is slow to use, potentially doesn’t work properly and on a more serious note could be putting your clients’ data at risk, which must be avoided.

Perfect for your Marketing

Once your website is launched, you will need to market it. This can be done in many ways. You may have specific products or services that you want to push at certain times of the year. You may want to run a promotion for a specific length of time or you may even want to run a competition. Regularly updating your site easily provides your marketing team a great opportunity to change the marketing messages on a regular basis. This can help get the message out there and will stop your returning customers from seeing the same thing on every visit.

When you are changing your marketing message, use this as an opportunity to spot check your website and ensure all the features are still necessary. Keeping your website up to date is not just about adding new things, you may also need to get rid of stuff that is no longer working. For example, for one marketing campaign, you may have been asking for people to sign up to the newsletter and emailing them on a regular basis. This can be a great strategy, but if you are no longer sending newsletters, then make sure the form is no longer live on your site.

Tweak the Design

Whilst you probably went through a lengthy design process when creating your website, do not feel like you can’t suggest new design features or make changes. The look and feel of your website is extremely important and like everything else, trends for Website Design come and go and you need to consistently make aesthetic changes to ensure your website doesn’t look dated further down the line. Also check to make sure your website is still in line with your brand. Are all the same colours and wording used throughout? If there is a mismatch between your website and other sales and marketing material that customers will see, it can negatively impact your chance of converting visitors. If you need help with Website Design Services then DBS Digital can provide everything you need.

Functionality

Websites are created using a range of different pieces of software and plug-ins which will all need updating at different points. Some older functionality may be removed entirely and you may need to make design tweaks to accommodate this. Your web team should be on top of these changes and need to be in a position to respond quickly. Software is updated regularly in order to make it the best it can be and your site, therefore, needs to update as well.

Changing trends

You also need to consider user trends. For example, not too long ago, people predominately shopped online using their desktop computers or laptop. However, as smartphones have become larger and easier to use, people have shifted to shopping straight from their mobile. Website Developers have had to adapt to this and make sure their websites have responsive design so that they work equally well on desktop, tablet and mobile devices. These changes in consumer behaviour are inevitably going to continue to change and your website needs to keep up.

Legal Requirements

If you are selling online, there are certain laws you have to abide by and these can easily change which is why you must pay attention to them. A relatively recent example that affected all businesses was the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into effect in 2018. GDPR replaced the 1995 Data Protection Directive and has the aim to protect personal information. If your website collects data, which all websites do to varying degrees, you must ensure a privacy policy is included and explains how consumers can request their data if necessary. Without updating your website, you will be at risk of legal action so it is imperative your website stays on top of these major changes.

Having a new website is a long-term investment and whilst the building of the website can take a lot of time as it needs to be thoroughly thought out, designed with purpose and then tested thoroughly, do not forget about it after the launch. Have an ongoing plan of what you would like to change on your website and work through this list on a monthly basis. By updating your website regularly, you will retain your audience’s attention, be rewarded more by search engines and will generally benefit from a website that is well maintained. At DBS Digital, we can help with everything from Website Maintenance to Search Engine Optimisation. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.