A Website You Don't Update Will Produce Fewer and Fewer Sales

It's been said that doing the same thing over and over again - but expecting a different result each time - is a sign of insanity. So too is revisiting a website that's never been updated with new information or eye-grabbing graphics. Why bother returning to a site a third time when on your second visit there was nothing new to order, nothing new learn, nothing new to see?

Far too many websites - particularly the do-it-yourself variety - suffer from just that type of neglect. But large company or small, the result of failing to frequently update a business website will continue to result in reduced sales of whatever you're selling, goods, services, information or donations you're seeking.

There are three items worth examining when it comes to updating a website - Frequency, Appearance and Content. How often your site should be updated will vary depending on its purpose and the type(s) of visitors your site attracts. If you're selling fashion goods to women, for example, growing your sales will obviously depend on your ability to offer the very latest styles, colors and accessories.

However, if you're selling men's wear - suits, ties, shirts, socks, outerwear, etc. - updates are likely to be less frequent. Why? Because men's styles and colors are much slower to change. The biggest changes in men's wear are typically seasonal. But it is essential to both types of business that their sites be updated if they hope to grow sales.

When it comes to Appearance, displaying the proper graphics - photos and other artwork appropriate to your site - is definitely important. That includes your site's basic theme and colors. For companies selling products, each product should be displayed to its best advantage. While traditional photos work fine, short videos are working even better.

Appearance also includes the navigation built into your site, the ability of visitors to find the information they're looking for and to place their orders. Navigation should be intuitive, meaning natural, easy and logical, so each visitor can move from where they are on your site to anywhere else they might want to explore.

If your site is primarily informational, a site that provides a limited amount of useful information at no cost as a way to encourage visitors to purchase a subscription to a newsletter you publish, update your site as soon as there's any news likely to interest your site's repeat visitors. You want your site to develop the reputation of being first with what's important in your field. In short, you want your site to be the CNN of your area of expertise. Depending on the subject matter of your site, that may even mean hourly updates, though for most firms every three to five days is sufficient.

As for Content - the words contained within your site - there's an expression in the industry that says "Content is King!" Some web designers might argue with that, but the concept that words - the right words - are the primary "convincers" within a website is hard to ignore. It is the words you choose to use that tell your potential customers your product or service will meet their needs and solve their problems.