Prepping Your Website for the New Year
The Sprocket Report
“Auld Lang Syne” only takes a few minutes to sing, but once the last note fades, a whole year has passed. Suddenly everything 2017 has become woefully out of date – including your website. Here’s a short checklist for staying current and looking fresh.
Swap Out Holiday Graphics
If you put up a seasonal banner or themed ads, replace them with images that use less red and green to look more timeless. That goes for your social media platforms as well.
Update Copyright Date
Your website may be programmed to update the copyright date automatically. If not, make sure to change that right away. And maybe get your web tech to add the auto-update feature.
Post a 2018 Blog
Save yourself the hassle and schedule a 2018 blog article NOW to post automatically once 2018 begins so visitors know you’re still active and in business. You don’t want to give the impression that you haven’t written anything since “last year.”
Also, if your scheduled post is something along the lines of “Happy New Year!” you might want to schedule a second post at the same time because that greeting will sound pretty dated by the second week of January.
Archive 2017 Events
Past events are worth keeping on your website, but make it obvious that you have archived these old events on purpose rather than neglected to remove them. Past event information records your organization’s history and gives search engines useful terms to index. Also, visitors checking up on you will be more favorably inclined to do business when they can see how active you’ve been.
Add Upcoming Events
Project an impression of purpose and action by posting some 2018 events right away. If you only host or attend a few events during the year, an online calendar can look bleak. A better option may be to post a list titled “Upcoming Events.” You don’t have to post all the details immediately either – “Check back for more information” can suffice for now.
Most of us want to hit the ground running when we get back in the office after the holiday break. The new year often inspires lots of ideas that we can’t wait to start doing. Preparing updates for your website and social media platforms now means you can jump right into fun, new strategies without wasting time on routine clean-up.
Also consider delegating the routine so you can focus on your 2018 marketing plans. We have social media packages to fit every need. Give us a call to learn how we can help. Here’s to a great partnership and much success in 2018!
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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