Search Engines Will Love You for It
When was the last time your website had a tune-up? If it’s been awhile since you’ve made any updates to your website, the start of the year is a good time to pop the hood and do some tweaking.
1 – Update Your Copyright Notice
Somewhere near the bottom of every page of your website you probably have a copyright notice. Take a look and see what it says.
If you haven’t updated it for a few years, this could send a signal to website visitors that your content is old and maybe no longer accurate. Your copyright date should show the current year – 2013.
If you’ve had your website for a few years, you might want your copyright date to read something like this: “Copyright 2009-2013.”
2 – Update Your Content
Search engines love fresh content. They look for websites that are updated regularly. If your website hasn’t changed in awhile, this is a good time to do so. This can be as simple as making just one change on each page (see point one), or as complex as reviewing all of your text, photos and graphics. Either way, you will be telling the search engines that your content is current.
3 – Update Your Staff Photos
Does your website have staff photos? These can be a great tool to help you reach out to new customers – it always helps to put a face on a business. But if you haven’t updated those photos in awhile, that face may look a bit different today than it used to.
4 – Is it Time for a Redesign
What we expect from a website has changed quite rapidly over the past 10 years or so. A website that was current and great looking six years ago might be looking dated today.
Take a look at your competitor’s websites to get a feel for what they’re doing. Take a look at your favorite websites. Ask yourself if your website is keeping up with the times.
The start of the New Year isn’t the only time to consider updating your website. Adding fresh content all year long can help keep your website tuned up all year long.