Don't neglect your website

So, you've had your website for years and you think it's fine... BUT, did you know that search engines, like Google, will rank websites lower if they are never updated? They can also be less appealing to your customers because they become stale and they have no reason to keep going back. 

If you want to KEEP your business website working for you, you NEED TO UPDATE it more frequently to keep your customers informed. 

Good Intentions

A lot of people have plans for their website but never seem to 'get around' to it. Here are a few places you may want to review on your current website:

• Maybe you have new products that haven't been added to your website?
• Have your services changed?
• Is your company information current?
• Should your home page have information about your most popular products and services?
• Does your home page have too much information? Think about simplifying it.
• Update your staff page.
• Make sure your contact information is correct and easy to find.
• If your website is more than 4 years old, it could be time to for a website facelift. Change up the layout, photos, colours and fonts.
• Fix your branding - tune up your logo and how it's used.
• What about customers needs? Do you know what your customers might be looking for?
• How is your Google search ranking? Maybe it's time to look at the SEO of your website.
• If your site is older, it should probably be updated.
• Do you have the social media pages that your business needs?

new features that your website could use:

• Recaptcha is used to protect your contact forms so you don't get a ton of spam.
• Testimonials are great to improve customer trust, for SEO and to help place your business geographically.
• Security - HTTPS, SSL, HSTS, Trusted Site, address bar lock icon - these are all important for your customers safety, to improve your Google rank and keep you looking professional.
• FAQs - add answers to frequently asked questions.
• Blog/News
• Newsletter subscriptions
• Map and phone links for mobile users
• Mobile friendly home page
• Quick links for products and services on your home page
• Purchasing or booking options
• Product catalogs
• Social Media likes, shares and links to your business pages
• Feedback and reviews
• Referral links

Sometimes, these are larger overhauls but sometimes they can be simple fixes to make it look new. Google likes when website pages are updated on a regular basis. This refresh could help your search ranking, as an added bonus. New content can mean more traffic to your website, so keep it fresh.

Contact Creative101 to have your website updated to keep customers current on what you're selling.

For more advice on using designers for your business, you can read our other blogs.

Working with Designers, Custom or Template Web Design, Social Media Management