5 Simple Tips for Website Owners
Having a professional website is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business. Keeping your website up to date is important, but business owners and large corporations alike are often pressed for time and not always sure where to start.
We’ve outlined the most important reasons to regularly update your website and included some simple tips to make the process easy.
Security
Website security is a must. Idea Kraft builds websites on the most trusted and secure web platforms, all of which release updates as soon as any security vulnerability is detected. Staying on top of these security patches and regularly updating your plugins prevent your website from being affected by hackers.
Idea Kraft takes care of all security updates for websites that are hosted with us. Not only does this keep your website safe, but it also makes it preferred by search engines because the content isn’t flagged as unsafe.
TIP: Be sure your hosting provider includes daily backups before handling plugin updates yourself. We include daily backups in addition to security updates for all sites hosted with us.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization helps you reach a larger audience. You want a high ranking in search engine results so users find you when searching keywords related to your business.
When you continuously add content to your site, search engines boost your ranking. Regular updates and fresh content also give you domain authority, helping you get discovered by new clients and easily found by existing ones.
TIP: Publishing blog posts is an easy way to maintain fresh content. You can schedule blog posts ahead of time by simply clicking on the drop-down calendar next to the “Publish” button, and choosing a later date rather than “Publish Immediately.” Posting two to three times per week is ideal, but even biweekly is beneficial.
Engagement
In addition to reaching a large audience, you want to build relationships with visitors to keep them coming back. It’s important to renew their interest and help them feel connected to your brand. The best way to do that is to stay invested in content.
Regularly adding new content, such as blog posts, promotions and news updates, will drive user engagement. If a customer expects new content, they have a reason to return. Your website markets and advertises for you around the clock—make the most of it.
TIP: Make it easy for yourself! If you’re more apt to use Twitter or Instagram, install a plugin that displays your latest posts. Customers will come back to check out the updates.
Credibility
Make sure your contact information, staff, schedules, etc. is always up to date and accurate. Information your users can count on is pertinent to a professional reputation.
If you have an FAQ section, keep it up to date with reoccurring client questions to make it easier for potential customers to find relevant answers. Show that you are the experts in your field by sharing relevant articles, removing outdated content and featuring positive feedback from customers.
TIP: You can set a post to expire if you know it will become irrelevant. For example, a product special that will no longer be offered after a five day period can be scheduled to expire so that you don’t have to maintain it after publishing.
Reinforce Your Brand
Your website should look fresh and current. Design should never be based on trends that will pass, but rather on long-term goals for your business.
A design refresh is recommended every 2–3 years, but you won’t need a complete redesign if your website was made to be future-friendly (something we integrate into our UX design process here at Idea Kraft).
Remember
Content updates should be a priority, but they don’t have to be time consuming! We can help make it easy (and fun!) and guide you along the way.
Let’s talk about updating your website!
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