How often do you look at your own website?

Website owners are generally so busy running their companies that updating or refreshing their sites is not normally high on their list of priorities. Unfortunately, this oversight can and often does have seriously negative effects on their businesses.

Is the information contained on the site still relevant?

If your chosen daily paper was an exact replica of the previous day’s edition, week after week, month after month, it is an absolute certainty that before too long you would stop buying it – the same principle applies to website visitors! If your website content does not change often enough, people will stop looking at it.

Could the look of the site be deterring existing and would-be customers?

A website has only a few seconds to impress a visitor enough to make them want to continue browsing. Unfortunately, there are countless numbers of website owners that are under the illusion that once their sites are up-and-running there is nothing more they need to do to them. This way of thinking is losing them money!

When you neglect your website, you are literally wasting the most effective marketing tool available.

A website is an asset and an investment, so it is extremely important that it is used to its maximum potential. If you have gone to the trouble and expense of having one built it makes good business sense to look after it properly. Periodic assessments of its performance, content and looks will help you to decide how to keep it fresh and interesting.

Would a ‘makeover’ benefit the site and ultimately the company?

Websites benefit from content changes to refresh their looks and keep visitors interested. Perhaps using more up-to-date images of products or staff photos would work wonders; saying something new with a copy rewrite could also help to regenerate interest in your company’s products and services.

Your web designer is your friend.

Taking time to talk to your web designer will be time well spent. Get their opinions on how the site might perform better; ask them how the look can be improved. This is where your designer’s help will prove invaluable, contact them – two or three heads are better than one!

There is an old adage that says, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ This is totally true – until what has been put out of sight and mind comes back to bite you! – Ignore your website and it will take revenge by driving customers away, look after it, and it will look after you.

This article is the property of the author and may only be reproduced in its original form.

John Sheridan is a professional proofreader of hard copy items and website copy. He also writes web copy and occasionally accepts small copy-editing assignments. He can be contacted via: http://www.textcorrect.co.uk

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