Websites aren’t just a portfolio of your business or an online store. They’re an extension of your business. Since you’ve started your business, you’ve probably added new services, have more work samples to showcase customers, or changed your logo and branding. If you’ve made all these changes to your business, why aren’t they reflected on your website? Regular website updates are beneficial for many reasons, and if you’re wondering how often to Update Your Website, the pros at NEXTFLY have the answers.

We’ll break down some regular things you can do to maintain your website as well as when to know if it’s time for a whole new look. A well-maintained website is easier to care for versus an old site with outdated content. Getting into a good flow of regular content updating can really do wonders for your website and your business.

Why Updating Your Website is so Important

Websites aren’t one of those things that you can set and forget. Regular content creation and updates will help drive traffic to your website.

Think about it this way: Let’s say you own a store with a big shop window. As a store owner, you should be thinking ahead about the latest trends and products that your customers will want to buy. A new shop window display with every season will keep your customers coming back to see what’s new. If your shop window stayed the same all year long, your customers wouldn’t be intrigued enough to visit.

The same thing is true with your website. Updating Your Website is what makes people want to revisit your site. They want to see what’s new. If there’s no new content, you’ll find that customers won’t revisit your site. Google is looking too! If you’re regularly updating your website, you’ll show up higher on the search results. The more people that see you on the first page, the more clicks you’ll get, and the more visitors you’ll have. It all works together to help your website grow.

Tip 1: Update Services & Products

This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to forget about especially when you’re a small business. Don’t rely on a “see more in-store” to drive traffic. At the beginning of every month, be sure to update your inventory. Showcasing new products and services will get your customers excited about your store. Use social media to make a post about your products, and then make sure the links connect to your website. This can really help spread your reach.

Tip 2: What Is Your Competition Doing?

Who are your biggest competitors? It’s ok to visit their websites and take some of their ideas. There’s nothing wrong with getting inspiration from others. Oftentimes, it’s your competition that spurs your best ideas. Obviously, don’t copy and paste things from their site outright, that could land you in hot water.

But if your competition has a better design than your website, features a capability your website doesn’t have, or offers services that you could easily offer too, then Update Your Website to stay competitive

Tip 3: Write A Blog

When customers come to NEXTFLY because they want more visitors to their website, one of the first things we ask them is “do you have a blog?” Update Your Website regularly by adding at least one new blog post a month. Have a brainstorming session and come up with a list of topics. You can even pre-write your blogs and then schedule them to be published throughout the year.

Can’t think of any blog topics? Here are some quick ideas:

• Highlighting a new product/service
• Personal Stories
• Tips and Tricks
• Expand on a Frequently Asked Question
• Recapping recent events or projects
• Showcasing members of your staff
• Tease new offerings

Tip 4: Update Pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s especially true for websites. Go through your website and see if you have some outdated pictures and replace them with new pictures. If you’ve taken pictures of recent projects, those are great to showcase on your website on a regular basis. If you’re only posting pictures to social media, include them on your website too!

Most smartphones these days can take pictures with incredible quality, but it’s never a bad idea to hire a professional photographer to really help make your website look legit. A professional photographer will have a keen eye and probably some photoshop skills to really enhance the look of your site.

Signs It’s Time To Update Your Website

If you Update Your Site regularly with the tips above and you’re not noticing any improvement, then it might be time to overhaul your website. Don’t feel defeated, it’s perfectly normal to re-do your website. In fact, we recommend giving your website a facelift every 2 years. We recommend this because improves your site’s aesthetics, update to meet clean coding standards, and stay modern with today’s changing technology. It’s not just an improvement on your looks, but your functionality as well.

Think of re-building your website like cleaning out your closet. You’ll be surprised how many old things you find that you don’t offer or need anymore that are just taking up space. You’ll also add new things to keep looking stylish and functional. And occasionally, you might find something incredible that you already had, but want to showcase it better. It will be a lot of work, but in the end, you’ll feel more confident look better than when you started.

These are the obvious signs that you need a brand new website:

• Your website is missing a capability you wish it had. Like a booking form, an events calendar, or social media feed
• Your website does not look good on phones and tablets
• Your site loads very slowly
• You want to be able to see how many visitors come to your website
• You want to track and re-engage with your visitors

NEXTFLY Can Help Update Your Website

NEXTFLY is here to make your website better. Whether it’s regular blogging, optimizing your site for phones and tablets, or a complete website overhaul, we’ve got you covered. Contact NEXTFLY to learn more about how to Update Your Website today.