Updating Your Website and Why It’s Important
Does this sound familiar? A website you started gets put on the back burner and after awhile, you realize it is extremely outdated. This could be hurting your image, business, credibility, and your overall website in general. How did you get here? What can you do about it? (If your website looks like any of these– you came to the right place).
How it Starts
It is easy to do. You start a website or blog as a hobby, or a place to share your thoughts. After some time, you notice that you are gaining followers and that your site could actually take off. You begin to invest more time into your site, and maybe even start branching out to other forms of social media. Your website now has its own Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram, Pinterest Board… the list goes on.
All of these side accounts need your attention too! You start putting more time and energy into improving those accounts. But wait, what happened to your original site? The site that started it all?
You take a look back on your site, and perhaps the layout displeases you. Maybe it is the photo you initially used that is now an eye-sore. Whatever it is, something is simply not right. Your website has become outdated. This can feel like a vicious cycle of not knowing how to properly invest the right amount of time into each avenue of your website/social media platforms.
Wake-Up Call
I know the feeling all too well.
When I started my first site, I had linked it to a tumblr account I had used several years beforehand. As I started to notice that my site was getting more attention, I looked back at what other websites I had linking to my new business. That is when I discovered my tumblr page; it was horrifying. It was full of posts I had shared when I was in college and the layout was simply horrible.
This is when I first began to think of how an outdated website could overall, hurt your image as a brand.
Outdated Websites: How do they hurt you?
Here are a few important highlights of what I learned.
- People may think you are going out of business. –via protofuse
- It makes it seem like you simply don’t care; that you are not “with it”. –via visigility
- It can make you lose income. If people quickly leave your site, that is money quickly leaving your pocket. – via zingerwebdesign
- Older technology limits your reach; older websites are not mobile user friendly. -via Huffingtonpost
- Search engines love new information. You will rank higher if you keep your site updated. -via Forbes
- If your website looks outdated, you lose a certain amount of credibility. Your online brand image takes a hit because of this. – via infusedagency
If those reasons are not enough to scare you into updating your website right away, I don’t know what will.
You desire an updated site. Now what?
As I mentioned above, I had to spend a lot of time updating old accounts, tweaking my posts, editing images, and analyzing my layouts. It can truly take quite a bit of time to do.
In some cases, the time spent on updating a certain platform (like tumblr, for example), is simply a waste of time. Depending on the scenario, you may decide to delete certain accounts completely. If you feel like a certain page/site/media account is not beneficial, it is up to you to decide whether or not it is worth keeping at all. This can be challenging and stressful, if you don’t know what is helping or hurting your site.
Twenty West Media can help you (read more below).
Don’t have the time? Don’t even know where to begin?
It can feel overwhelming, not knowing what to update or what to leave behind. You do not want to make a mistake and have to start from scratch, once again. It can be a scary, stressful ordeal, but it can be done. Especially, if you consult with people who know more about the topic than you do.
For example, I had no idea how to code, and I lacked graphic design skills to even make a logo for my site. That is when I asked the help of a friend who is a professional graphic designer. It is okay to ask for help.
Twenty West Media
Twenty West Media not only helps you update the graphic design layout of your website, but they aid in getting your website ranked higher on search engines. Whether it is with the help of SEO, or keeping your site updated- they take the burden of it off of your hands. They have several different options depending on your type of business and what your needs are. You simply need to contact them and they will provide you with the help you need.
Over the years, the list has only grown in ways Twenty West Media can help you update, your website and your business. To find out more, visit their official website to see how else they can benefit you.