Update Your Site And Boost Your Business
Years ago, I was a blonde. Hard to believe if you meet me now.
The whole process started out slowly as a few highlights in junior high and within a few years my hair was totally blonde on top!
Then I morphed into a red head in high school and more recently tried out purple and pink.
Like my ever evolving hair color, one of the themes of life is some amount of change which is a good thing.
Having an online presence is crucial for the success of any business but just having a website is not enough.
Online service providers and creative entrepreneurs need to know that never updating their website can eventually lead to less traffic, website visitors and keep declining over time.
Keep reading for some easy ways to update your site and avoid this fate.
Create Fresh Content
One of the main reasons why websites become stale is due to outdated or irrelevant content. Make sure to regularly update your website with new blog posts, product descriptions, and other content that your audience will find useful.
If you need a fresh pair of eyes on your website content have someone you trust read through your website for anything you might have missed.
Even if content marketing isn’t your marketing strategy of choice updating your website helps people find you through online search engines.
Try Out New Features
Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in your industry and implement new features that will enhance your website's user experience. This can include anything from social media integration to chatbots.
This is why it’s a good idea to hire a web designer even just for one day if you aren’t confident about adding new functions and plugins to your site.
Or if you have the time looking for free web design resources online can help you with website updates and trying out new features.
Analyze Website Data
Use website analytics tools to track user behavior and identify areas for improvement. This can help you make informed decisions about website changes that will benefit your business.
Want to know which content is resonating with your site visitors the most? If you’re on Squarespace use the Analytics tab to deep dive into which pages are grabbing peoples attention and which ones can be improved.
Another popular choice is Google Analytics or Ahrefs if you want to get really technical. It can be frustrating to put tons of hours and energy into creating a website for no one to even see your hard work.
This is why your website design and strategy decisions should be made with data in mind over guessing what your website visitors are thinking. As my former business coach loved to say, “Data over drama!”
Use Feedback
Ask your customers or clients for feedback about their experience with your website. This can provide valuable insights into what is working well and what needs to be improved.
It’s easy to assume that the flow and structure of your website makes sense. Make sure to verify with some candid feedback from people who have actually scrolled through it.
Doing in depth market research and talking with your ideal clients and current customers makes the biggest difference when figuring out what to focus on in your business that will have the biggest impact.
Conduct Website Audits
Conduct regular website audits to identify any technical issues that may be affecting your website's performance. This can include issues such as broken links or slow page load times. This can be as complicated or as simple as you want.
Time to plug Ahrefs again, where you can set up a free account, as the website owner, and they send you emails and updates about any potential issues with your site.
These emails aren’t always fun to get but when they pop up in my inbox I make sure to check out any errors they’ve found. Their website can be a bit technical if you aren’t tech savvy but it’s definitely easier than trying to do it all on your own.
Rebrand When Necessary
Does your website not feel like you anymore? If you want your website to reflect the real you then a rebrand or brand refresh can make that happen.
If your business undergoes a significant change or rebranding, make sure to update your website accordingly. This can include changes to your logo, color scheme, or messaging.
Make sure to schedule time to update your website with new graphics, colors and logo. Even doing a refresh of your branding or copy can make a big difference with your site.
Update Your Site
By following these strategies from creating fresh content to website auditing, online business owners and entrepreneurs can make sure their website remains relevant and effective, helping to drive business growth and success.
Instead of updating and redesigning your website from scratch consider investing in a Squarespace template to plug in your content. Check out my template shop for creative business owners and coaches.
