Time

A question often asked is 'How long do I need to spend updating my website?'. The truthful answer is 'as long as you can'.

Many customers think that once they have a website, and they have put the content about their company, products and services into it, that is it, job done they can sit back and let the work flow in.

The truth is a little more than that.

I often describe a website as being like a steam engine. To drive a steam engine at its best you need to constantly fuel it, keep an eye on the pressures and tweak and adjust the knobs and handles to make sure the engine works well. A train driver doesn't just shovel all the coal into the firebox at the beginning of the journey and then go and sit in the passenger car until the journey is over. Your website is just the same.

You need to fuel the site with new information, details of new products or services, details about changes in your company and your industry. You need to examine each page and ensure it is delivering your message correctly and tweak the words to ensure it is right.

As well as looking at your own site you need to check out the competition. It used to be really hard to understand your competitors, before the internet you had little knowledge of their company, structure, or even their services. But now you can go to their site and read all about them. You should read their websites monthly.

The steam train analogy is also true about letting your site get out of control. If you just ignore it and hope it will work, the chances are it will stop working and the fire you had at the beginning will go out.

If your site is working and you are getting leads and sales from it, then you are doing the right things and you need to keep doing them, however if your site (or your marketing activity) is not producing the results you expect you need to work out why and take steps to improve things.

Content is king, always has been, always will be. You need to examine your content and ensure that it is delivering the right messages and has the necessary call to action that will drive your customers to contact you.

As always, if you need help or guidance please call us, we are here to help you get the most out of your website. Additionally, 'the club' is packed with information to help you to improve your marketing and website using simple, easy to do techniques.

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to pick up the shovel and start fueling your site, then drive it effectively until you get to the goals you wish to achieve.