While there’s no algorithm or rule that determines just how often you should take the time to update your company’s website, a good rule of thumb is to update your site in a major way every two to three years.
Has it been a while since your business’s site saw much change? Wondering if fixing that typo from your website’s landing page was enough to count for last year’s update?
If you’re wondering whether it’s time for a nice, fresh update to your website…it’s most definitely time.
Let’s be real: nobody wants to do their normal workday tasks at this time of year, so what better time to purpose your days toward something creative and different like giving your company’s page a good and thorough website update?
If you’re still not convinced, here are our top 10 reasons you definitely need to update your website before the new year.
1. To Make Sure Things Still Work
Yeah, it really can be this simple!
It’s important to check your site for functionality on a regular basis. The end of the year brings about the perfect opportunity for a full audit of your website. From the biggest functions to the least-used, take advantage of your year-end update to ensure everything is in tip-top shape and functioning condition.
2. To Implement Client Feedback
It’s been a long year, right? You’ve received lots of feedback and opinions from clients.
Your year-end update is the perfect opportunity to look back on the past year and take the time to implement that good client feedback. Even if it’s as simple as adjusting one or two website functions, when your clients return to your site after the holidays, they’ll be ecstatic to see their ideas in play.
3. To Leverage Research on the Competition
And while your clients were busy helping brainstorm ways to improve your site, you were busy doing a little brainstorming of your own…and a lot of that brainstorming happened on enemy soil!
Use the new year as an excuse to update your site and to optimize it in the best ways your competition has already managed to. As much as you’d hate to admit it, they’re doing some things right. Time to imitate and improve their best practices!
4. To Utilize Analytics Results
You spent much of the year tracking your site’s and social media platforms’ analytics and performance metrics.
The new year is an awesome time to pause, look back on the year behind us, and decide how you might best revise your site based on analytics. It provides a great opportunity for fixing your existing site, and for planning the coming year’s site.
5. To Optimize Keywords
The natures of keywords change. They shift and become less effective. But the good news is your 2018 year-end update provides a great chance to revise and re-optimize your site using relevant keywords.
Since search volumes change, it’s important to take some time as we approach the new year to check and improve your site’s main keywords. Your 2019 will thank you.
6. To Make Room for New Content
A really great way to update your site for the coming year is to add new content. If your site is generally pretty static, think of ways you could improve existing content, or consider the possibility of adding a feature or page to your site.
Whether you’re starting a blog from scratch or just rewriting major landing pages on your site, the end of 2018 is the perfect time to revamp and freshen up your site’s content.
7. To Better Cater to Your Services
2018 was a great year and change. Your company became stronger and more dynamic. You added new products and services which are now at clients’ disposals. Why aren’t you showcasing them?!
Take these last weeks of the year; optimize your site to include recently-added products and services. Consider featuring these new pages on social media sites.
8. To Give Things a Fresh Visual Appeal
The only thing that changes faster than the months is on-trend visual design. Whether your site was launched last January or five years ago, it’s likely that your site has become slightly visually outdated. Do your research to learn more about how to get the very best new visual design for your site.
Update your site as we move into the new year, even if it’s in a way as simple as changing your landing page’s feature photo. This shows your visitors that your company is committed to excellence and staying on top of things. Staying up with your site’s visual design keeps it looking fresh and allows clients to take your site seriously, no matter the year.
9. To Make Things More User-Friendly
Even if you haven’t received loads of client feedback on them, there are likely some small elements of your website that you know, deep down, aren’t exactly user-friendly. You know–that one clunky page? That video with the crazy-slow load time?
Take the last days of 2018 to update your site and work out any kinks that might make your site less-than-awesome for any client. Your site will be overall more sound, and your clients’ experience will be better.
10. To Make Sure Security is Sound
One of the worst ways to start out a new year may just be by dealing with a hacked and dismantled site. You’ll find yourself wrangling your site back from hackers well into the spring, losing clients all the while.
Taking the time to update your site over the holidays can open your eyes to major breaches in security. It can help you to tune things up and refresh your peace-of-mind and sense of confidence in your site. Make sure things are safe and secure as you enter the new year!
Want More Benefits of a Website Update?
We’ve outlined some of the major benefits of a great website update, but the possibilities are really endless.
For more info on how to set your site up for success in 2019, and for other awesome content to keep your business on the cutting edge, !
