Have you ever encountered websites that are old, outdated or uninteresting? What do you feel when you visit such websites? Do you have the confidence to buy from the company?
As Internet technology is constantly evolving and changing, all businesses should improve their website regularly by making it faster, simpler, lighter, and more secure so that it always offers the best possible services and user experience to the visitors, helping the company gain a good reputation, loyal customers and profits.
How often should you update your website?
Just like a car, a website also needs to be ‘serviced’ to prolong the overall lifespan. In this instance, a car requires regular maintenance in order to stay in good working condition. The same goes for websites. Website updates include the plugins and the theme you use.
While you should revamp your website at least every two years, changing the content on your website should be done regularly. This could range from daily to once or twice a year, depending on the type of content you have.
Outdated information, broken links, or low-quality content that is not engaging could be the reason why your website is not converting and has low online traffic. Updating your website content allows you to address these issues and potentially increase your sales.
Your website represents your brand. Most customers will visit your website before they buy from you. As such, it is important for you to keep your website up-to-date and focus on the content you are providing.
Why should you update your website?
A car that is maintained at the proper intervals and replaces non-working components when required helps you save money in the long run. The same goes for websites; a website that is seldom updated and with issues will require a higher cost to fix when it breaks down. In other words, maintaining your website from time to time lets you save costs too.
Security
One of the top reasons for website hacking is the vulnerabilities caused by an out-of-date website framework or plugin. If your website is hacked, it will cause problems for both your company and your customers because sensitive data such as customers’ personal details and credit card information could be stolen. Customers who feel insecure visiting your website will lose confidence in your business.
- Plugins Update
Plugins are used on websites to provide functionality. Developers from all over the world have created numerous plugins. Hackers can sometimes exploit weaknesses in these plugins, allowing them to get access to the website. Next, hackers will go after all websites that contain this flaw.
The solution is to keep the plugin up-to-date.
Plugins are updated on a regular basis. When it comes to updating the plugins, some website owners are unsure where to begin. Updates are frequently released by plugin makers to address these security problems.
- Backup Your Website
As a website owner, you should always be aware of the updates and always make a backup when updating your site.
This reminds me of the car theory. When it’s time to service the car, I would gladly pay the workshop to change my engine oil for me. I would pay them to run a total Vehicle Health Check to identify any future problems or safety concerns because I understand how important it is to keep my car reliable. I understand that my car needs oil change from time to time, so I am always prepared.
Drive Traffic and Customers
Those looking to use their car as a tool to make money will approach the process differently. They do not mind paying for full-coverage insurance and keeping the car in good condition by having a proper service. They see the value in having a solid backup plan in case something goes wrong.
- Make a good impression
What about your website? Do you consider your website to be the equivalent of a brochure or business card? The fact is, your website plays an important role in making a good impression with your customers. Imagine having the best product in the world, but a poorly designed website. It will be disastrous as potential customers will be turned away before they have the chance to discover your company, products and services.
- Fresh and new content
Another main reason to update your website is to ensure your content is fresh and new. Updating website content can help increase website traffic and convert visitors into customers. For instance, updating your website content during festive seasons, which are the perfect time to attract more traffic to your website, is a good way to generate sales using engaging, relevant content.
- Create customer trust
Besides, it is important to keep your website content up to date because the information you provide is what creates customer trust. You should always keep your readers informed. The more frequently you update your website with new articles, downloads, and web pages, the more often a search engine will crawl and list it. You have a better chance of achieving a higher rank if search engines visit your site regularly.
- Improve website ranking
Search engines use web crawlers (aka robots, bots or “Google bots”). It is a program used by Google to scan the internet for websites. Every time an update is made to your website, the search engine takes notice and reassesses your site’s ranking. Thus, updating content frequently increases the chances of your website getting a higher ranking.
- Google loves fresh content
Google is certainly the most frequently used search engine. In fact, Google has an enormous influence on webmasters and how websites are constructed. Google loves websites that update frequently and that’s why you should add fresh content to your websites as frequently as you can.
Retain Visitors with Good Website Design
Companies should not concentrate only on content and online marketing, ignoring the design and usability of their website. A website with difficult-to-use navigation bars, unappealing colours, a non-responsive design, and a lengthy contact form can cause users to leave without giving the company a chance. Conversely, a responsive website that offers a good user experience keeps visitors viewing it longer.
- Mobile-friendly
Having a website that fits the screen and resolution across all devices will give visitors a better user experience. Moreover, 30% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your website is not responsive, you are likely to miss out on around 30% of your potential leads.
The Bottom Line
By updating your website regularly, you can help prevent security threats to your website, increase traffic and conversion, and retain visitors and keep them viewing your website longer. Never let your website grow stale; get started by updating it and keeping it up to date. You never know who is looking at your website or what benefit it may provide to your business.
Let The Expert Take Care Of Your Website
Need regular website maintenance? You can hire someone to take care of these concerns for you and provide complete peace of mind.
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