subject: Update Early, Update Often [print this page] Your web site is like a storeYour web site is like a store. Customers need a reason to stay interested. One of the best ways to keep them coming back is to provide regular web site maintenance, and routinely update your content. Is there a new product, a sale or new service you want customers to know about? Your web site is the first place customers will turn to find this information, so giving them what they are looking for will put you ahead of the competition.
Customers are not the only ones looking for new content on your web site. Search engines also factor updates into your web site's ranking. Routine updates will help keep your web site ranking high in the search engines. Blogs, articles, or just increased content pertaining to your business or industry will increase interest in your site with both customers and search engines.
Google, the most popular search engine on the Internet, does not divulge a lot of specifics for how to create a web site that ranks well, but in its webmaster guidelines, it does give this clue about content.
"Create a useful, information-rich site, and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content."
Adding this extra content on a regular basis keeps your web site current, and increases the search engine ranking of the site. If your web site serves as a resource as well as a sales point, customers will stay interested. Small business owners are busy people. They may not always have the time to update a web site, or the general knowledge to do so. It is important not to neglect this facet of your business.
