Refreshing and renewing the content on your website is no longer the expensive, laborious process it used to be. This frees you up to do the natural thing and keep your content fresh: nobody likes to hang around, shop at or revisit a stale website. However, there are more reasons why refreshing content is so important. Here are some of them, followed by some ways changing content can be done.
Why Refresh Content?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Probably the most important reason to renew your content. If you want to keep your business on the first page of search engine listings it is necessary to refresh content. Busy websites that change regularly attract search engines. Stale ones drop down the listings making it harder for people to find your site.
Shows expertise
By incorporating a blog or news section in your website you show that you are an authority in your industry. You will generate return visitors to your site who see you as a sage. People prefer doing business with a company that shows expertise as it promises a better product or service. A blog and news section also give the impression of a successful company and this attracts visitors who are looking for quality.
Shows That You Value Customers
Well written content is as important as fresh content. When searching the web for a product or service there is nothing more annoying and off putting than badly written content. It shows a lack of respect for both the business itself and potential customers. Fresh, up to date, accurate content that is well written, on the other hand, shows that you are serious about what you do and that you value customers both potential and actual. The written word takes up most of what we call content on the web and if it is done well and regularly refreshed you will be rewarded with business.
Gains Trust
With so many ecommerce sites today it is hard to choose which business to go with. Probably the most important factor in gaining peoples’ trust is well written, fresh and up to date content. If you put time into keeping the content fresh and accurate the visitor and returning customer will put time into reading it. A busy website gives the impression of a successful business and a successful business who respects its customers is a trustworthy one.
How To Refresh Content
Install A CMS (Content Management System)
Basically, a CMS allows you to edit content as easily as if you were using Microsoft Word. Using the CMS interface, type in your content and the system will publish it on the website. It doesn’t require a programmer – all you need is someone who writes well. The advantages of using a CMS are manifold. It is inexpensive: there is no need to hire a website designer just to update content. It enables you to automate the content management process: if you have a news section on your site you can get the CMS to store news and automatically add up and coming events which are then deleted when they pass. It is especially useful for large, complex sites: it provides the tools that aid you in the managing of large amounts of content. The CMS has the potential to become a system with user controls which control who can edit and author content in different parts of your website.
Create A Blog And News Area On Your Site
These two elements, by definition, imply renewal and change. They are a great way to keep your content fresh and hold on to customers. Visitors are attracted to lively, busy and up to date websites and the best way to bring this about is incorporating a blog and news section. There is always something to write about and even if the visitor or customer is not interested in the substance of the blog or news story he will admire them because they show a successful business that cares about its customers and is keen to win more.
Incorporate Images And Videos
Although the written word is the most important kind of content, images and videos make a difference. They hook many visitors to the site and help to turn them into customers. For this reason it is important to keep images and videos refreshed – the visitor or returning customer will notice a stale image before stale written content.
Inform Social Media
When you update your content it is a good idea to refresh your social media as well and if you don’t use social media such as facebook and twitter, it’s highly recommended that you do. If your content is good enough people will start to link to your pages and bookmark your content.
These days, especially with the advent of CMS, there is no excuse for stale content. Creating fresh, up to date content is easy and inexpensive. For companies that do most or all of their business online changing content more or less regularly is vital as it is the essence of a site. Letting content go stale is a sure way of losing customers.
