Feed your website to keep it alive

Giving birth to a website is no mean feat. There are all the usual labour pains to contend with and arguments over what to name it. Some months later (and it’s often overdue), the actual delivery of your online brainchild is a rollercoaster of a time. But, at long last, you have a cute website you can call your very own. Job done. Or is it?

Creating a website is one thing; keeping it alive is quite another. It’s easy to find any number of sites dying a slow death through a simple lack of attention, so don’t let your new site become another statistic by taking these steps to keep content fresh and visitor numbers climbing.

Get snap happy

A gallery of sharp images is the ideal way to show what you can do. Simple and easy to do, upload only photographs that sell your business; don’t devalue your product or service with blurred lines or badly positioned shots. Ensure each image has a well-worded caption to provide search engines with an easy way to find you. Videos are another good way to get website visitor numbers up. There’s nothing like seeing a product being demonstrated to get a customer interested, so take the time to record a well-rehearsed tutorial or demonstration.

Get talking

Creating a blog can show you’ve got your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your industry. Don’t forget that your customers are busy people too, so keep blogs to a reasonable length­ – no longer than half an A4 page. Not everyone finds writing easy, so make blogging simple by employing a copywriter to create a series of blogs for you. The Proof Communications team currently writes for a growing number of customers who know what they want to say but who struggle to put it all together. Blogging this way means a guaranteed quality output and more time for you to focus on your core business.

Who says you’re good?

Regularly updated client testimonials speak volumes about what you do. Where possible, include company details, including name and title to add weight to positive comments. Date testimonials to keep web content fresh, replacing any comments more than 18 months old. Prospective customers love to see positive feedback and there’s nothing wrong with honest self-promotion!

News

What’s going on in your industry? Are there new regulations your customers should know about or innovations that affect your product or service? Has your company just celebrated a milestone? Include a news section on your site as another way to keep customers coming back. Links to other articles help to keep content varied and search engines busy directing customers your way.

Don’t forget your housework!

There’s nothing sadder than seeing “Happy Christmas” when it’s well into March. It says your website has been left to fend for itself. And, above all, it says you don’t care what impression you give your customers. Keep content relevant to ensure your website and your business ­continue to thrive.