4 Dangers of a Set and Forget Website

We’ve all heard that a dog is not just for Christmas, well it’s the same with a website.

In this article, I’ll be looking at the dangers of a set and forget website.

Like a pet, a website needs regular care and attention otherwise it will suffer. I’m going to touch briefly on 4 main areas.

SEO

Having an optimised website is essential for ranking well in the search engines and continued business success.

Conducting competitor and keyword research before designing a website and then implementing those findings is key to giving your website a good start in life. As part of my SEO services in Sutton Coldfield, I extensively research clients’ competition and keyword opportunities to give their websites the best chance to rank well.

However the work cannot stop there.

When you launch a new website, however thorough the research beforehand, you’re not dealing with your data. Once your website is up and running, you can check in with Google Search Console or Google Analytics and see real data for your website.

This is vitally important information.

You can then use this data to develop a plan for goals going forward. It might highlight new areas of opportunity – in terms of service offerings or potential growth in new geographical areas.

In addition to keeping on top of your own website’s data and performance, you also have to be aware of wider external influences.

Google is constantly tweaking its search algorithm and has only recently confirmed the biggest local search algorithm update in 5 years.

And of course, your competition is also trying to earn the top spot in the search rankings, so ensuring that your site continues to rank above them requires ongoing attention.

Keeping it Fresh

At the most basic level, it’s a good idea to keep your website looking fresh by updating the content. A blog or news section is great for this and allows you improve your ranking for more search terms as well.

Again, it’s a great idea to look at your Google Search Console data to see what search terms generate interest in your website and use these as the basis for your blog articles.

But you also need to post regularly on other channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and, of course, Google Business Profile (the new name for Google My Business).

You don’t have to do all of these but choose those that are most appropriate for your business nd try to post on a regular basis. The frequency that you post should reflect that of the sector you operate in. Some sectors post daily of even multiple times a day but you might equally be in an industry where one post every week or two is perfectly acceptable.

What is important is to try and keep to a schedule, post engaging content and ensure that you track the effectiveness of you work.

If some channels significantly out perform others, focus your energies on those.

Google Analytics can help you track which social channels are most effective for you, so ensure that you monitor your analytics.

Website Security

Websites are vulnerable to hacking.

Unfortunately, that’s a fact of life these days. Although I install security tools that will minimise the risk to all my Sutton Coldfield web design clients and use as few, good-quality, plug-ins as possible, if you don’t keep your website up-to-date, you’re leaving it vulnerable to attack.

Try and log in at least once a month and update your plug-ins and CMS, whether that’s WordPress or Joomla.

And, of course, take regular back-ups. It’s always a good idea to take a back-up BEFORE you update anything, so that you can safely roll back to the previous version, should anything go wrong.

Whilst not keeping on top of your SEO or failing to add new content to your website may see you slip down the search ranking, not keeping on top of the security of your website, may see it hacked and that could be a lot more damaging.

Business Changes

Unless you only do or make one thing and always have done and always will do, your business will be constantly adapting to changes in your market.

Your website should reflect these changes.

When you add a new service or develop a new product, ensure that it’s on your website. Blog about it and post about it on your social channels.

If your business is affected by seasonal swings, reflect that on your website.

Businesses are ever evolving, changing and adapting and your website should keep on top of those changes and reflect them to you customers.

Conclusion

Having made the investment of time and money into a website, don’t just leave it to gather dust. To maximise you return on investment show it some love.

And if you really don’t have the time or inclination, I offer some very reasonably priced website maintenance packages and would be more than happy to talk you through some ideas with you.