How often should you update your website content?

How often should you update your website to generate maximum results (by which I mean maximum customer enquiries)?

• Should you regularly update your content to keep it “fresh” and encourage repeat visits?
• Is a “Latest News” page a good idea?
• What will happen if you never update your content?

Web marketing wisdom, circa 1998: Keep your content fresh, fresh, fresh

Back in the day many dotcom companies burned through cash like crazy when they advertised (typically offline) to drive visitors to their website. This tended to generate a short-lived “sugar rush” of visitors who never came back or bought anything.

So the thinking was, “you need to keep content fresh to keep visitors interested and coming back for more”.

While for certain types of websites this is absolutely true (e.g. a news portal such as Japan Today), many people still think that fresh content is essential for ongoing website success. That ain’t necessarily so…

The moving parade

Most of the lead generation websites we build for clients are specifically for the purposes of new client acquisition.

Mrs Prospect has a need for your services…
She searches online…
Your website is ranked at or near the top of the search engines…
Mrs Prospect has a look around your website and decides that your service is the answer to her need or problem…
She contacts you via email or phone to enquire about your services.

(Sometimes the process contain some extra steps, but this is the general idea).

The point is, once a prospect has found your website and become a client, there may not be any pressing need to keep your content “fresh” in order to drive repeat visits – your website has already done it’s primary job.

Don’t misunderstand – you DO need a strategy to encourage repeat visits

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that it takes 7 visits to your website before a prospect will enquire (or something like that. Somehow the number 7 always seems to be in there ).

And that’s sometimes true. As a general rule, the more complex or expensive your service, the more visits are required before an enquiry is made.

The best way to drive these initial “pre-conversion” repeat visits is to incorporate a “lead capture” mechanism into your site. This might be as simple as a newsletter signup form, or it could be an invitation to download more comprehensive materials (e.g. a free report or eGuide).

This allows you to educate prospects about the value that you offer as well as stay in touch. Your followup contacts will keep prospects coming back to your site to dip back into your content.

We use this strategy extensively, both on our own website and on client websites.

On this website for Pink Inspections, (who provide pre-purchase pest reports and building reports in Sydney), you’ll see that there is no newsletter or free report. It’s just straight direct response.

That’s because the service isn’t too complex or expensive (under $300 in most situations).

However on this site for Pink’s Pest and Termite Control division, there is a lead capture form. That’s because termite control is much more complex and also much more expensive than the inspection service (termites are apparently crafty little devils, and termite treatment can cost in the region of $3 – 5K) .

So whether or not you use a lead capture mechanism as a means to keep prospects interested and returning to your site will depend on how tough it is to convert a website visitor into an enquirer.

But what about Content – isn’t He King?

Just to add another layer of confusion, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t add new content to your site or perform updates. Just that it isn’t a necessary condition of a successful website.

New content – especially articles and other informational content – can be a great asset to your site. Even better, if your website is tightly focussed around a certain topic, or you’re seen as an “authority” in your area of expertise, then an “Articles” section can indeed attract visits from potential clients.

That’s a fantastic position to be in, but it does require work. You need to write the articles (or have someone write them for you) and update them on a regular basis. And there’s no guaranteed payoff.

What about Latest News?

Quite a few business owners with whom I speak seem to like the idea of having a “Latest News” section on their website as a means to drive repeat visits. I normally advise against this because…

1. Unless you’re a true authority, most “Latest News” tends not to be terribly newsworthy to your prospects.
2. “Latest News” requires regular updating. Most often these updates aren’t made. How often have you seen a “Latest News” page that hasn’t been updated for a coupla years?

Moral of the story? Plan in advance

I guess the moral of the story is to plan in advance. If your long-term website strategy demands weekly article updates, then you need to arrange the resources in advance to make sure it happens.

If you don’t feel you can commit to regular updates, then perhaps the “low maintenance” option is better. Don’t worry, the moving parade is waiting for your help.

Thanks for reading.

Will Swayne
Lead Generation Guy