The other day I was researching a new supplier, and in the footer of their site I found this notation: “This site last updated July 31, 2003.”
2003?
Now I don’t care that they haven’t updated their web page in six years. Really, that’s their business. I would suggest they don’t advertise it, but again, it’s their business.
What I would like to point out to you, however, is why you should update your site more than once a decade. Since you’re here, I think it’s safe to assume you care about these things. So here’s a couple of reasons why it pays to update your site with some regularity.
Search Engine Optimization
If you are looking for search engine traffic, you absolutely must update your site regularly. There is no ignoring this. A static, unchanging site will slowly drop in the rankings, and as it drops, it will be crawled less frequently, resulting in lower rankings. All you have to do to avoid this particular downward spiral is to add new content to your site once in a while. How simple is that?
Search algorithms change over time as well, and while I don’t think anyone needs to go chasing every single change Google makes, you do need to be aware that changes are taking place. By keeping your site structure up to date, you’re at least maintaining your visibility, if not increasing it.
No one is claiming you have to post a new article every 37 seconds, or do a full site redesign twice a year. Just keep an eye on the Internet and pay attention to what other sites are doing. Unlike in other areas of your life, on the Internet you really should be keeping up with the Joneses.
Software Does Not Stand Still – Even if Your Site Does
When you built your site way back in the dark ages of the Internet, it probably looked great in all the browsers at the time. Internet Explorer 4, Firefox Beta, Netscape, and maybe even AOL. Now that Microsoft is rolling out IE8, Firefox Beta is Firefox 3.x, and Netscape and AOL have virtually disappeared, it might pay to take another look at how the new browsers render your site. You might be unpleasantly surprised.
Your Business Evolves, Doesn’t It?
You are probably not doing business today in the same way you did it six years ago. Or last year, for that matter. You’ve purchased new equipment, developed new technologies, changed the way you invoice customers, renovated your showroom. Something has changed, and as your business changes you need to be updating your site to reflect those changes. Otherwise, you run the risk that your potential customers will think you are not keeping up with the times.
Style Counts
If you walk into someone’s home and see deep pile orange and brown shag carpet, giant wooden spoons and forks on the wall, and heavy, dark wood furniture, what do you think? 1972? Yeah, me too.
But who cares, right? I don’t have to live there, so what right do I have to demand granite countertops and tile floors? Here’s the difference. Mr. and Mrs. 1972 aren’t trying to sell me something. They aren’t saying, “Hey, look around our house and see how great and helpful we are and put your trust in us!”
Your website is your house, and if you have a personal site where you talk about your cat and your kids and what a jerk your ex-husband is, fine. Update it whenever you like, and proudly tell the world that you haven’t moved past 2003 if you want. But if you’re trying to sell something–if you’re trying to convince me to put my trust in you–then you better put your best stuff out there for the world to see, and orange shag carpeting is not your best stuff.
Does it seem harsh to you that I won’t do business with a company simply because they advertise the fact that they don’t update their website? Maybe it is. Maybe I’m an Internet snob. But you can bet I’m not the only one who will be turned off by a site which proclaims it’s out-of-date-ness, nor am I the only one who will equate an out-of-date website with an out-of-touch supplier.
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When teaching students about retrieving information from the web, one thing I have them look for is when the site has been last updated. No one wants antiquated material or information, especially in this day and age where new information circulates in remarkable time. Updating a site simply says that the consumer is important to the merchant. We all like stores that update their current displays. This can be applied to any site that wants to keep a following, but to a business, it’s the difference between life and death.