If you find this helpful, pay it forward! More after the article...
Start the New Year with a Clean Website
The Sprocket Report
Just a couple of days off and you’ve come back to a ton of stuff to do. Of course you want to get to work, but take a few minutes first to clean 2016 off your website. Nothing is more stale than last year’s “news.”
You may have updated your news just a WEEK ago, but now it looks like you updated it a whole YEAR ago. Stale webpages make folks wonder if you’re out of business. Or just unprofessional. Spruce up your website to show off your strengths and inspire confidence in your prospective customers!
Banner Images
If you posted a holiday-themed banner image on your website or social media pages, replace it pronto. Garbage trucks are picking up Christmas trees so it’s time to move on. Choosing something less timely will give you a little wiggle room on when it next needs to be swapped out. Wintry scenes or people in sweaters should work until March.
Event Calendars
An archive of old events can be useful because it illustrates how active your organization has been, but upcoming events should be exactly that.
Most web platforms will let you post recurring dates. For instance, if you have a regular meeting every other week or the first Thursday of the month, you can just set it up once and let the platform repost for you.
If you don’t hold a lot of events, a calendar might not be your best choice as it looks lonely with only one event posted to the big empty month. Instead, consider a simple Upcoming Events list that promotes the next few event dates, even if they are months from now.
Blog and/or News Posts
Everyone loves to write their first blog post of January – usually about how the new year will be better than ever. That post looks woefully stale by Valentine’s Day, which is when folks remember they never wrote a second post. Write that second post NOW while you’re working on the first and make it a more “evergreen” topic. Then if you don’t get to the third post right away, at least it’s not as dated-looking.
Consider also that most web platforms have scheduling features. You can write a year’s worth of posts and schedule when they will be published. You can also schedule when posts are removed from the news feed. That way, event news will disappear once the event is over without you having to remember to go log back into the website and change it.
Copyright
Newer platforms update the copyright of your website automatically when the time arrives, but if you have an older site, the copyright may need to be changed manually. Contact your webmaster and remind him or her to take care of it. That old date suggests to potential clients that you don't pay attention to details and that you may be out-of-touch with modern technology. Why give them reasons not to choose you?
Facing a fresh calendar does encourage us to make the most of the new year. New and better habits are admirable, but for success, let’s make those goals attainable. Use the tools of your website platform to keep your resolution of a clean, attractive website. Don’t know how to use the tools? Contact us for an hour’s worth of training. No useful tools available? Maybe it’s time for a new website. Give us a call and talk it over. We’re happy to help you make 2017 the best ever!
Did you enjoy this article? Was it helpful? Insightful?
Then please share it! Post it on your favorite Social Media platform(s) so your followers see it.
It's easy. Just click on any of the social icons below and we'll do the heavy lifting for you.
Oh yeah, leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting!
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.
Other posts by Kate Gingold
Contact author
Full biography
Full biography
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.
x
Linked In
Google Plus