Website Design – A Work in Progress!
How many times have you heard this one, "We've just had ours done". We're not talking pets and vets! We're referring to business website design and the persistence of belief in some owners that once the HOME page has been sprinkled with their final, final list of chosen SEO keywords and the site goes live, that's it, job done, no more expense other than paying for a PPC ad!
Even as the new smartphone and tablet technology platforms are being rolled out and consumers take control of social media channels to engage with their preferred choice of product, service, subject, info and news feeds, some businesses still cling onto the rose tinted delusion of ' pull 'online marketing.
The issue is further compounded by site owners, still thinking in obsolese notions of the print advert, andending to have a fixed 'picture' of what their site will look like when it is finished. This can be a big problem for one very good reason – a website should never be 'finished'.
Creating brand identity is an organic process that changes and adapts as web technology moves forward in tandem with user behavior. A website has to be thought of as an investment in the growth of your business and the innovative marketing strategies that can be created to take advantage of new search landscapes, for example, mobile applications.
There is always new content to be added to a site to drive new interest and repeat visitor traffic, encourage revenue and boost SEO performance. A website refresh should be a regular, timetabled feature. As important as your company AGM, even if you are an SME! By enhancing the overall look, feel, and value of your brand, you increase the 'quality vote' with site visitors and Google algorithms, likewise.
Google Caffeine, the new search algorithm has recently updated to place more emphasis on writing fresh content. The days of a website remaining static for years at a time are quickly coming to an end. Fresher content ranks better, but a steady stream of new content is needed to maintain consistent SERP results.
Adding new content to a site also increases reach and builds authority to become a valuable market resource. Resources tend to gain natural links faster, strengthening your site's authority in your specific market and increasing your natural search results.
Fresh content linking to your site via Twitter feeds, Facebook, blogs, articles, videos, banners and ads will enable search engines and their users to locate your site using a wider variety of search terms, thus, increasing your market reach through SEO.
Business owners must finally get to understand that, if they want to be a player in this game, the whistle never blows, the website never finished and there are no penalties for continuously changing and moving forward.
