After all the time and energy it takes to launch a website, it can turn into a stagnant asset for your Business if you have a “build it and forget it” mindset.

To stay Relevant to your customers and prospects, it’s important to update your website regularly. Here are some tips on how to keep the content fresh and on-point:

“Most people mistakenly think that keeping their website relevant means redesigning it every year. Not so — my most successful client has a website that we designed for him 4+ years ago.

So just how do we keep our client’s website relevant without a complete redesign?

• Publish relevant content weekly – create a blog content plan based on hot topics researched using our favorite tool, BuzzSumo.
• Hand-post content on social media – turn off auto posting and instead use your social sharing buttons.
• Rinse and repeat – don’t let your content never see the light of day again. Use a scheduling tool to republish content on a regular basis.  My favorite tool for this is Social Oomph.
• Track your numbers – this is the #1 thing most people never do. Pay attention to what your readers are consuming. Use Google Analytics to see what they’re reading and write more about those topics!

Frankly speaking, the last point is the smartest way to keep your website relevant and to build a successful online business. I’ve seen the power of this in action both in online and in brick-and-mortar businesses, yet most owners fail to address this.

When you pay attention to what your readers want and give them more of it via posts, products, and services, you’ll not only keep your website relevant, you’ll able to build a successful business.”

– Kristen Poborsky, Marketing Strategy + Implementation, kristenpoborsky.com

“Keyword placement is really important when it comes to your website ranking well in search engines. I have a rule that I place my primary keyword in the title, URL, the first 100 words, headings and subheadings, and then again in the last 100 words of my content, which helps search engines to index my content.

I also like to make sure that my primary keyword is 3-4 words long which is called a long-tail keyword. Using this helps people to find exactly what they need, and it’s more specific and less broad than a one-word keyword.

I find that I get more traffic from being more specific and using keywords that my ideal clients would search when they need help.”

– Lizzie Moult, Business Consultant & Online Marketer, lizziemoult.com

“There are two main reasons that you want to keep your online presence from going stale: search engines will visit you more and users will see that you’re still actively in business. Two simple ways to do this that don’t require much effort are:

• Update the header image on your site. Most websites have a large, beautiful header image that’s the first thing your site visitors see. Update this every few months and you’ll be in the top 5% of active sites.
• Next, maintain your fluid pages and don’t let them get stale. This would be your news, blog, social channels, employee list, pricing page, service offerings, etc. Having your most recent blog post be five years old, and listing employees who have not been with your company since the last presidential term is an indicator that your company is not detail-oriented.

Keeping your website updated with your current business practices is an excellent way to demonstrate to your customers that you’ll be responsive to their needs and not neglect them.”

– Cayley Vos, Principal, Netpaths

“Because there are so many businesses out there doing the same (or rather similar) things, it’s important to ride your sweet spot.

What’s the value proposition that makes you stand out from your competitors? Why should your ideal client work with you and not the other? Use that in your content, in your website descriptions, in your titles, copy, everywhere. Ensure that you make the “how you help your client” known to your website visitors.

Honing your unique selling proposition allows you to make a statement through your content, thus sending lightning bolts down your ideal client’s heart. Once you’ve got that part right, it makes your marketing tactics and messages more effective. It makes it easier for you to be found.

Too many online businesses try to imitate a similar niche business idea, strategy, and even copy it. But there’s one special thing that only you can give to that client. Find out what it is and own it.”

– Menellia Valcent, Lifestyle Success Coach for Women, menelliavalcent.com

“It’s essential to keep your site relevant, updated, and looking fresh for that first user’s impression – especially when you’re a brand and logo designer. You have to always be offering new and useful content to educate, inform, entertain, and help a potential client.

On my site, I offer a free 5-day email brand course, a free downloadable brand report, and various content upgrades (downloadable PDFs of the articles they’ve read). These are all in return for their email address, which subscribes them to regular branding tips and advice. And ultimately, you’ll get them to buy or hire from you.”

– Andy Fuller, Founder, Designbull

“View your content in the same way a media outlet views their newspaper, magazine, radio or TV station. Have a schedule, write for your niche audience and show up on time, every time! Optimized content is the fuel that ignites your web marketing strategy. Prospects will find your website, in the main, in two ways:

Firstly, they’ll do a web search, which signals intent. If you’ve undertaken keyword research and know your audience base really well, you’ll be found because of your content.

Secondly, visitors will read a piece of content on a Social network which drives them to your website. A social signal is more about relationship building and seeking authority voices on niche topics. So be very clear on what topics you write about.

I have a monthly content calendar, which I stick to rigidly. I think about my content marketing in terms of being an online publisher. I have a programming schedule across my blog, YouTube channel, podcast, and social networks.

Producing authority content that is optimized and published on a regular schedule is my top tip to keeping your website relevant for your ideal customer.”

– Joanne Sweeney-Burke, CEO, Digital Training Institute

“One of the best analogies I’ve heard is “treat your website like a garden.” If a garden is not maintained, it can get out of control really quickly and in some cases die.

You need to treat your website the same way, which means you need to make sure you’re always creating fresh content by publishing your blog on a regular schedule, introducing new forms of content such as vlogging, updating your FAQ section, adding in new testimonials and retiring old ones.

You can also go back and rework page titles (and even on-page content) that didn’t perform well in Google to try and make it more optimized. Check your main pages for outdated information and references — what might have been relevant a year ago may no longer be.

Look at the design of your site. I’m a big fan of what’s called “growth-driven design” where the site is always evolving and changing based on the testing and analytics you are receiving from the people that visit the site so that the site is an almost living thing that grows and changes over time in response to what is and isn’t working.

Look at the language you’re using on your site. Does it speak to your target persona(s)? Your customers may change over time, which means that your copy needs to change with them.

– Mark Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer, Rocketshp

The post Expert Roundup: How Do You Keep Your Website Relevant? appeared first on Logojoy.