Caution: Website a Work in Progress

Barry Roos

I saw this sign and I immediately thought of websites. (I know, I say that about everything, hey I am a web guy) But this sign illustrates what I have been preaching since 1996. The idea of build a website, and they will come doesn’t work. (Although it did work for building a baseball field in the middle of Iowa…) Websites are ALWAYS a work in progress and requiring maintenance and updates.

Websites will thrive only when they are not stagnant and are consistently being updated. Companies throw away thousands trying to shortcut their SEO efforts. Google and other search engines don’t fall for tricks, they are looking for content, and quality content. Because of the onslaught of email campaigns from offshore SEO companies promising a pot of gold they can’t possibly deliver, companies jump at quick fixes.

DON’T DO IT!!!!!
I get calls and emails everyday, just like you. Hang up the phone, and delete the emails. Most of these companies use black hat techniques which will ultimately hurt your business. Not sure what black hat SEO is? Here is a definition from Webopedia:

In search engine optimization (SEO) terminology, black hat SEO refers to the use of aggressive SEO strategies, techniques and tactics that focus only on search engines and not a human audience, and usually does not obey search engines guidelines.

Spend your time and money investing in your website from a content & maintenance standpoint.

Do the following:

1. Hire a company to maintain your site. This way you can send them content and website changes. You worry about content, let someone else worry about the nuts and bolt of running the site.
   
2. Create a schedule of content and social media for regular content updating.
   
3. Make your website/social media part of someone’s job, not an afterthought. Have tasks appear on people’s calendar so they are not forgotten.
   
4. Schedule a quarterly SEO review. If you aren’t being found for phrases you’d like, formulate a plan to improve.

Bottom Line: Rarely do you see a comparison between a maintenance sign and a website. But as with any building or property, websites need care and feeding. Let them go and they will eventually have problems or grow irrelevant. With a little hard work, you can grow your website, improve search rankings and hopefully turn your website into a profit center, not a drain on resources. Don’t get me wrong, it takes work and it takes commitment. But you CAN be successful. Just think of that simple yellow sign!!

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