Right now, at this moment, does your website content represent your best self? Your top capabilities as an expert in your area?
Does your website content contain your best knowledge? Your most recent insights?
I’m asking because lately I’ve spoken with tons of experts, business owners, coaches, and consultants who haven’t updated their website content in some time. Quite some time.
Here’s why static, outdated website content is a problem for service entrepreneurs.
You’re an expert. Why? Because you’re always learning. You uncover new approaches, changes, don’t you? With every project, new client, and ongoing customer relationship. If you don’t revise and update your website content to demonstrate your newest ideas and capabilities, you risk being left behind.
There are many reasons that you and other service entrepreneurs and business owners don’t update their website content regularly.
- You haven’t made it a priority to convert your site to software that allows you to edit or add content yourself, without a web developer.
- You haven’t got the time to prepare new articles for your website or blog.
- You haven’t found worthy topic ideas to write about. This is surprising because in today’s technology fueled info-economy, every industry changes frequently.
Any of these sound familiar to you?
These are alibis.
Just excuses you make to yourself to avoid taking control of your website content.
In today’s insanely competitive world you must be on top of your game. That includes meticulous attention to your online identity—your website.
Your website must reflect your best stuff at all times. It must share insights into your most up to date ideas, strategies, and solutions.
It’s an established fact that customers begin their search to hire an expert or buy something online. Pew Internet stated in a recent study that 80 percent of adult Internet users research online for a product or service they wish to purchase.
Make a commitment to yourself and to your audience to update your website content. Regularly.
Still not convinced?
Five reasons you should update your website content at least weekly.
1. Regular website content updates communicate both your expertise and your dedication. When you share your knowledge and skills with your audience of prospective clients and customers, you’re saying:
“I understand the problems you’re facing. I help people like you solve problems like this every day. Here’s an example of how I’ve helped others like you. I can help you get the results you’re looking for.”
2. Fresh content keeps your website active (findable) by the ever-present search engines. Why? Because your prospective customers, begin most purchases by typing a problem into a search engine. The best way to play nice with the search engines is to provide fresh, relevant, engaging “meat” (content) on your site.Yes, those pesky search engines have ‘software bots’ that constantly search for sites with newly updated content. Everyday. Love them or hate them, search engines still like websites that are updated regularly.
3. Your biggest (scariest) competitors are creating new website content. They’re blogging, creating how-to videos, Facebook-ing, updating their LinkedIn profiles and websites.Keep track of the quality of content others in your market are publishing. What type of website content are they sharing? Video? Business blogs? What sorts of topics are they covering? Are they missing key approaches that you’re expert in? Are they discussing new trends you haven’t addressed? Don’t let your most aggressive competitors get ahead of you.
4. Social media is no longer a fad. It’s a mainstay of how businesses and buyers connect and begin relationships. Social media requires “sharing” links to valuable, relevant content.
Your prospective business clients or consumers share links to content that’s relevant (important to them) pretty much 7X24. They’re constantly clicking over to their favorite social media site, or industry website, and then sharing links to content that’s important to them.
Business folks are always looking for tips, strategies, and tactics that will help them do their jobs and run their companies better. I sure do. Don’t you?
It could be Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Google+. Before your potential clients can share your content, you must have your own fresh content posted (published) to your website.
5. Today’s website software that makes it incredibly easy for non-technical people to update, edit, and publish new content. Especially if you’re using website software like WordPress or Drupal.
Big companies refer to systems that enable non-technical folks (like me) to edit and add new information as ‘content management systems’ (CMS). If you’re not using WordPress content management, or a similar type of software, for your website or blog, you are at a big disadvantage.
Using WordPress to edit and update website content, is really just like creating a word processing document. Honestly.
Your website simply must be easy for you to edit and update without relying on a technical person.
Valuable Website Content Says that You Care
Current, relevant, topical, how-to website content communicates to visitors both your expertise and your commitment. It shows that you care about your audience.
Your audience includes your current customers, clients and prospective ones.
You’re an expert who cares, right?
So show that you care when a prospect lands on your website. Make it clear on your site that you’re an expert who cares enough to continually offer help to your “tribe”. Publish your newest problem solving ideas, workarounds, and solutions where your audience can find them easily.
6. (Bonus reason) Enhance your in person networking by reinforcing your expertise on your website.
If you spend several hours at in-person networking events each week, keeping your content updated is mandatory. You’re sharing to a wider audience—prospective clients searching online for help—the same sorts of topics you talk about during face-to-face networking.
Your website doesn’t take off holidays or go on vacation.
So, if I’ve done my job correctly, you now know how important it is to constantly create new website content that your customers are interested in. Now you’re ready to move to the next step.
Need more help about how to do that? Contact me.
Images: istock
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