Why Managing Your Website Content Is Important

Content management or updating the information on your website is crucial to maintaining successful communication with your existing and potential customer base.

When websites first started making a mark in the business world, most businesses kept their old pages on their websites way past their use by date and customers were frustrated that information was not only outdated but irrelevant.

Often products were obsolete or the prices had changed. When pages were removed, links to those pages became broken. These pages and websites were very much in the hands of the web developer. And it was an expense every time you needed to change data, as you had to pay for a developer to make the changes for you.

However, with more and more businesses connected to the Internet and better educated users, businesses that do not keep their information up to date, relevant and interesting do so at their own peril.

With more people now ‘Net Savvy’ the internet and web development has matured from online business cards and corporate brochures to providing up to date and dynamic content. Where previously business could dazzle their visitors with jazzy graphics and other bells and whistles, today’s user demands fresh and up-to-date content within your site.

The two most common questions I am asked (okay, I’m ignoring the question on price), is how much content should I have on my site, and how often should I update it?

Quite simply, content is the foundation of any website. Without it why would an existing or potential customer visit your site? Forget all the fancy banners and graphics, at the end of the day your customers are looking for information to make an informed decision about your products and services.

The more information and detail you provide, the better the experience the end user will receive. A business with produces up to date, relevant and sought after content can not only enhance their image, but also deliver a level of service well beyond their customer’s expectations and differentiate them from their competition.

So how often should you update your website? All the time. A website’s content needs to be continually changed and upgraded. Not only will this keep people coming back to your website, but search engines such as Google will pay closer attention to your site and improve your ranking.

REMEMBER TO GIVE THEM A REASON TO COME BACK

By giving your site visitors and customers a reason to keep coming back to your website, you will not only increase the chances of repeat business but also increase the word of mouth marketing for your online presence.  Providing on-going information and articles of interest to your market is a great way to achieve this. You could also offer a valuable free service. Once people are coming back to your website, they are likely to browse through your products and services while they are there.

You wouldn’t keep going back to yesterday’s newspaper for information, so why ask your customers to!