In our previous post, we introduced you to the concept of regular ‘website updates’. As we explained, when you frequently change your home page, you tell your visitors that you are an active company.

In addition, you show them the value that you give to the communications you have with your clients and potential clients.

Your Update Checklist

When companies ask our president Brent Kobayashi about ways to create content for their sites, he usually draws a quick checklist.

As he explains, this list helps our clients to understand the multiple options they have to easily find new and useful material for their sites. Here are some of them:

1. Has your company done anything new or interesting recently?  This can be things such as finishing a larger job, gaining a new client, hiring a new person, or sponsoring a charity.

2. Will your company be attending any events such as a tradeshow in the near future?

3. Are there any new products on the market that your company is using or selling?

4. Are there any trends or news in the general industry that your company is in?

5. Is there anything happening seasonally or periodically that a visitor should be aware of?  This can be things such as tax deadlines, or checking your furnace in the fall

6. Are there questions that you frequently answer for your clients?

7. Is there anything that you wish all your clients knew?

If the answer to any of the questions is yes, congratulations you have an update for your website.

In other words, you have a way to let your clients and potential clients see that:

- You are current
- You communicate well
- You are ready for their business

And if you would like to know more about how to discover content and change your home page, feel free to contact us at our Toronto office.

When was the last time anything on your home page changed? As you probably already know, your home page is the most important page of your site.

Your homepage is the first impression that your clients get of you and your business. Changing it frequently tells your visitors that you are an active company. It will tell them the value that you give to your site and how you see your business.

Keep in mind that your website may be the most frequently viewed image of your business.

In this first article, we introduce you to the concept of web updates. In future entries, we will give you some questions to discover content for your website, what search engines think of web updates (they like them!), ways to regularly update your site, and the importance of having a social site.

Recently, I spoke with our president Brent Kobayashi about the concept of ‘updating a web site’. At Kobayashi Technology, we encourage our clients to update their homepages frequently.

I asked Brent to define the expression ‘web updates’ for this blog post.

“Web updates are news and information as it relates to the company, and the industry the company is in. The content a small business should create to update their website does not need to be extensive, but it should be relevant to their target audiences.”

Brent believes that updating a website is very important, especially for a small business. According to him, it helps re-enforce the legitimacy of the company.

“One of the main battles for any small business is legitimacy.  Current dynamic content on a website home page is possibly the most effective way to show that a business is actively engaged as a business.”

How Often You Should Update

“Once per month is good. However, once per week is great” Brent says. “Once per week shouts to the world that your business is responsive, current, and has its processes in good order”.

At the same time, updating requires planning and maintenance because, as he says, “the only downside to regular updates is the need to keep it up”. To help with this, Brent recommends creating a marketing calendar and a few months’ worth of updates.

“If you are struggling to create content, consider hiring or outsourcing a marketing/communications coordinator.”

And of course, feel free to contact us at our Toronto office if you would like help updating your homepage.