I grew up on the northern coast of California, where winter weather usually means a lot of rain and fog. Christmas snow was never anything we expected in our small coastal town.
However, this year I spent the holiday season visiting family in Vancouver, Washington. It doesn’t snow that regularly here either, but it definitely happens more often than in my hometown. This year, the snow came down in flurries all day on Christmas Eve and covered the ground with a fresh blanket of powder. It was really cool to have a true, Crosby-like “White Christmas” for once.
The next day, the temperatures stayed below freezing and that snow just turned to ice. It was crunchy and slick, and it made for some dangerous driving conditions on Christmas day.
What is the point of this story? Well, it makes me think of what happens when you let your web content go a bit stagnant. This is a topic I’ve covered before. However, it’s an ideal time to bring it up again because we’re at the start of a new year. It’s the perfect time to revisit your website’s content and freshen it up.
Your website content may have been as fresh and pure as the driven snow when it was first written, but it will eventually ice over if left untouched.
Let me count the ways to keep your content from icing over and becoming dangerously stagnant…
1. Update Your Site Content
Take the time to run through every single page of your website. Make sure all the information is still relevant. Add any new information that is needed. Rewrite some sections of text, update graphics and revisit your SEO tags, keywords and links to freshen things up as much as possible.
2. Bring in Fresh Eyes
Don’t be afraid to ask for second or third opinions on your web content. Bring in an outside source or someone who wasn’t involved with the original site development. Let them look things over and provide a fresh perspective on what updates, upgrades and revisions could be made for better site performance.
3. Be Proactive
Don’t neglect your blog, news feeds and other dynamic content sources. Use these to provide fresh, relevant and searchable content on your site regularly. If you don’t have a blog yet, start one. If you do, just make sure to stay on top of it with regular posts. At least once a week is recommended.
4. Social Media Integration
Make sure your site is fully integrated with your social media platforms. Be active with your posts and advertising on social media, share all of your blog posts and news feed links, and engage your followers as much as you can.
5. Don’t Forget Your Brand Messaging
So many business websites these days are focused on SEO. That’s great to attract more site visitors, but only that kind of content can also come off as a little robotic. Don’t neglect your brand messaging and marketing goals. Once you get them to your site, you want to pique their interest and ultimately convert them into customers. Building a strong brand with well-crafted, engaging content is the way to do this.
These are just a few ways to freshen up your web content and keep it from going ice cold on you. To learn more about web content strategy, to discuss business blogging options or for a free, no-obligation review of your current website content, contact NextGear Marketing today.
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