How Often Should I Update My Website?
There is no fixed answer for this, what matters is relevance.
People come to this kind of article hoping to find an answer and they’re frustrated when they don’t find one. We’d love it if we can give you THE answer but when it comes to such broad questions, the answers are complex. The rationale is more important than the answer; you should know how to think about it.
The web is probably the biggest, most dynamic thing we ever made as humans. It’s faster than any of us can seem to keep up with. It took us about two decades to start talking about legislation like the GDPR. So it’s probably a good idea to keep your website, your tiny part of the world wide web, as updated and fresh as possible.
We understand the costs that go into getting a website designed & developed, and you usually want to stretch this cost over a good number of years. And that’s very logical.
Your industry and your content will help you define an answer for that question, but more importantly, your current business objectives will guide you to a final answer. Here are a few questions you should be asking yourself?
- Is my website still selling what I’m selling? Meaning is the content on your website still speaking the same language that you use in your day-to-day communications with your potential customers. This is really the biggest tell.
- Is my website technologically up-to-date? It should be working on the latest browsers & devices. It should be helping you track & understand user behavior for better navigation & even ad targeting…
- Am I keeping up with the industry? If your industry and competition moved to new heights, you better not be way behind.
Some brands change their websites annually. Some brands add new parts and give the perception of renewal. Some brands change it every 4 or 5 years. And some brands have had the same old website for decades. All of these examples survive. You should just make your website as relevant in terms of content, look & feel and technology as possible.
The above questions should help guide you towards an answer. Get in touch if you’d like to chat more about this topic.