Usual Reasons Why You Should Update Your Blog
What do you do when it’s 6 months after launch and you’re still not ranking for your keywords in Google? How about when your analytics tell you that mobile surfers spend an average of 1.5 seconds on your site before clicking away? What this means is that it’s time for an upgrade.
The fact is, this is just the Internet’s way of telling us that it has changed completely once again and we need to catch up. The Internet is constantly changing and evolving. Even sites that were made 3 years ago are totally obsolete by today’s standards. This is why businesses that are on the cutting edge of everything are the ones that always manage to stay on top.
It’s further complicated by the fact that small businesses can’t afford the massive technical department that big companies have. This means that when one of these architectural or functional changes hits you, it can send you scrambling to get caught up. It can really hurt to find out that your site’s yesterday’s news, but it just means there’s a little touching up to do.
So, how do you know when it’s time to hustle and get your website updated? Here are some warning signs.
A Razzling-Dazzling Flash Intro
Another thing that’s so yesterday is the Flash intro. Even 10 years ago they were considered corny by pros. Technology is wonderful, but it can also get in the way of what you’re trying to say to your visitors. Your message should be what they see, and not a crazy Flash intro that puts them into seizures. Don’t forget that people usually are in a hurry and the fastest they get what they are looking for the better for your brand.
Now, as a slight digression, some web developers still stand by Flash scripts. It’s all a matter of using it tastefully and to fullest effect so that it doesn’t get in the way. However, if you’re looking for some animation, there are some good alternatives that look quite a bit better like JavaScript.
No Social Skills
Your site and all of your efforts to communicate with you customers should be fully integrated with social media. More people are using Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other social networking sites than anything else. They’ve got millions of users every day who go to those sites first to find out what’s going on. If you’re not on these sites, your company looks like it’s out of touch. Plus, there are lots of ways you can use these sites to further promote your business and market to your audience. I would recommend
Your Site Is An Immovable Object
Most sites are designed for PCs and laptops where they look great, but when you view them on a mobile device they’re downright cruddy. For example, some sites take an eternity to load on mobile devices. More and more people are using mobile devises like smartphones for web surfing, so you’ve got to be up-to-date and have a site that’s mobile-friendly.
In fact, you should be using the rise of mobile devices to your advantage. Features like 24/7 live chat, integrated social media and auto-detection of browsers used on smartphones are all things that can make your site easier to navigate for mobile devices. In the future, people will be increasingly searching for information online on the go, so it’s a good idea to get started as soon as possible. One great WordPress plugin you could install is WPTouch which actually transforms your blog into a kind of a smartphone app and is fully readable by phones.
You Don’t Need A Web Designer
If you still have to outsource every web design issue, you should change this. Things change incredibly fast on the internet, and you need someone in-house who can make the necessary changes. Cutting and pasting code where it needs to go is not as complicated as it might at first seem, and we’re not talking about complete web design here but just some tweaks and changes. Training an employee or hiring someone to work full-time is essential for making changes quickly.
You Have A “Frankensite”
So, you’re not much of a web expert yourself. Whenever it needs touching up, you hire some whiz kids to change this or that. After years of tweaking and slapping more bad code over the old bad code, your site is a complete monster. Although it saves money to hire a developer whenever you need them, you might want to hire one to stay with you over the long term, or even better, start all over again. All those different codes confuse the heck out of search engines and web surfers alike.
Where’s The Call To Action?
Finally, your site needs to be telling your customers to do something – in order for them to do it. This is called the “call to action.” Rather than just saying to them, “Here’s our company, this is what we do, have a nice day,” get them to sign up for your newsletter, buy your service or product, or donate money. Whatever it is you want them to do, it needs to be right there on the front page. Everything should lead right into that action, like a funnel.
Category: Blogging
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- Usual reasons why you need to update your Blog | August 8, 2011
This is surely a great checklist for anyone with a blog. I can really identify with some of the points you’re writing…especially the Frankenstein one…as much i don’t want to admit…i’m gonna go work on my blog now, thanks for the input
ella recently posted..Simple Animation Software – tips and guidelines
Thanks for stopping by, Ella. Yeah, through time some modifications we make in the sites, they leave some remains back, like useless coding, which although may not be visible, it delays the loading of our site.
Steven Papas recently posted..Puritans Pride Coupons
I think every business need to spend a bit more on web design, SEO and constant updates. Internet is the biggest marketplace and business that does not benefit of online sales are loosing too much.
Yes, Andy, Internet expands more and more, new opportunities are available to people who want to explore the web and work hard and even off line businesses can benefit from it.
Steven Papas recently posted..DiscountMags Coupon
Twitter: rohitbatra14
says:
Nice Post… some really good tips to make people trust a Brand/business specially just not tell about yourselves in one page rather make them subscribe a newsletter to know more about the Brand..
Rohit Batra recently posted..Death Rally Game for iPod Touch 4G
I’m still seeing some blogs that need to be “resurrected” these days. Bad layout, color combinations, unflattering/distracting marquees, looking so 90′s, etc. Hiring someone good who can do the job for you is highly advisable.
Outsourcing is a great tool, Meg. I also outsource occasionally when I have a big coding problem etc. So, instead of spending my whole morning fixing html clutter, I hire a cool guy from Namibia and I focus on more productive things. That’s the magic of internet. Thanks for pointing out this!
Steven Papas recently posted..eDiets Coupon
Fresh content is always needed to high rankings. On the other side are updates of plugins and main core of the blog, which may become problematic regarding security issues.
yeah, one has to be cautious and not install any given plugin or the blog will be to heavy. Thanks for commenting Albert.
Steven Papas recently posted..Eset Coupon
Call to action is the most important aspect of the sales process. Always has been…always will..
Greg recently posted..Follow-up on your Construction Pipeline leads!
Hiring a web designer is a complete waste of money. People who hire someone to build them a website are completely lazy.
All you need is wordpress and you’re done. Everything else is very simple to use.
Kent Mauresmo recently posted..Top 10 WordPress Plugins 2011
I am totally with you Kent. Nowadays you don’t have to be a super tech geek to setup a blog by yourself. Especially, WordPress is so user friendly that I even managed to create two sites which produce revenue on a daily basis. I took me some time, I ready and watched lots of tutorials and gradually I set them up.
Steven Papas recently posted..VMWare Coupon
Do you actually make money with this blog, or with affiliate products.
I mean technically, a blog by itself doesn’t make anything right? Unless with advertisements of course
Kent Mauresmo recently posted..Top 10 Social Bookmarking Websites
Social networking sites are a good place where in you can promote your product and services and these places are the fastest way to get a potential client or customer so if you’re not on any of these sites its really a must that you should always update your blog and optimize it.
yes, that’s true, even Matt Cutts said that Google values positively when a blog has a strong presence in the social media and of course it’s a good place to expand your clientele and establish your brand.
Steven Papas recently posted..Eset Coupon
Nice Post… some really good tips to make people trust a Brand/business specially just not tell about yourselves in one page rather make them subscribe free indian online radio
If you are into blogging, updating your content is a must since Google likes website which has fresh content and quality on it. Redesigning or making your page beautiful is one factor too to attract visitors and readers to come to your blog.
Its important to update blog once in a while, because if you didn’t do this then people might get tired of your account and will not come back anymore.
Updating your site every now and then is a feeling of sincerity and how you mean business with what you do. A feeling that you can impart to the readers or visitors of your site even if let’s say that they bump your site for just a little while. A good impression on your web page and how things are done in order.