Our house plants need our love and attention to survive - and we all know that without this love and attention, they wilt. Your website is exactly the same.
Website Wilt is the side effect of neglecting your website - take a moment to look at your own site, and see if you are showing any signs of Website Wilt such as:
containing out-dated information
having a "last updated" date of years ago
linking to pages that don’t exist any more
feeling stale with a fading, dated or uninspiring design
too hard for you to update
Just because you’ve ticked the "website" box on your business’s to-do list does not mean you’re done - simply having a website is not enough anymore.
Website Wilt can cast a poor image over your business - out-dated information illustrates to visitors that you don’t have an attention to detail for your own business, and suggests that you are not taking your business seriously. This then impacts on your positive and influential status as an expert in your field, and can even hint that you’re no longer in business. Letting your website wilt could be costing you fresh new business every wilt-filled day.
You need to treat your website as you would one of your house plants - feed it, let it grow, nurture it - and let this love keep your website fresh, current and relevant.
Curing your Website Wilt is easy, effective and time-effective - here are some top tips for keeping your website fresh, alive and full of love:
ensure old or out-dated information is removed from your site
update your site’s content - it may even be an idea to get a copywriter to help you engage with your visitors
write a new blog post, freely sharing your expertise with your readers
check all page links are still working
have your web developer refresh your design
move forward with social media and email marketing, driving engagement between your customers and your site
If your site is not powered by a Content Management System (CMS), speak to your web developer to get it hooked up as a priority - this will enable you to keep your website up to date yourself - and ensure you really stay on top of preventing Website Wilt.
Now most importantly, and don’t forget this one - the last task to help cure Website Wilt: make an on-going appointment in the near future to show your website some more love and attention, and keep it feeling fresh and alive.
Michael Scruse
Michael brings a rare blend of technical, web and sales expertise to every project, backed by over 30 years of experience in the IT industry.
He’s also a qualified chef, though these days his culinary skills are mostly reserved for the home kitchen. A self-confessed history buff, Michael is currently deep into researching his own family tree.