Guest Post: How to keep your website fresh and not go the way of the dinosaurs

Tiny changes could lead to a big payoff, says Stephanie Fiero, Marketing Manager for TourismTiger

Tiny changes could lead to a big payoff, says Stephanie Fiero, Marketing Manager for TourismTiger

Everything is new and exciting when you’re building your website. You choose the best pictures, you write catchy content, and you use a modern theme. Your website is perfect and your increased bookings reflect that.

That new website glow doesn’t last forever though. Eventually your website will become outdated and start to turn off your potential customers. While that is likely to be inevitable, there are a few things that you can do to keep your site fresher for longer.

Refresh your pictures

Putting new photos on your site shows that you’re making changes and striving to improve.

Repeat customers, or those who previously looked without booking, will see your new photos and know that you’re looking for new angles. Or new tour locations. Or at least new customers.

Whatever the case may be, these new photos show that you’re making changes and give visitors even more reason to visit you.

Write a blog

Having a blog on a website is an easy way to accomplish two big goals: establish yourself as an expert in your area and keep your content fresh.

A regularly scheduled blog gives Google something to see. Those new pages could be the key to securing a higher ranking (especially if you add in some carefully-selected keywords).

This is also your chance to show your potential customers that you know what’s what in your area. They may not think you’re the number one NYC tour guide, but they don’t know who is.

They’re a lot more likely to book with you if they can see that you seem knowledgeable or if they were able to put some of your advice to use.

Update your content

You just made your site last year, what could possibly need to be changed already? Dates. If you reference any dates or specific times on your website, take a minute to update them for the next year.

Seeing a website talking about Saturday the third when today is Saturday the first is jarring. It makes the reader question if you’ve made an error or if you’re still in business. Either way, should they trust you?

You can also take this opportunity to do a little keyword research. Are people searching for “big cats” while you’re talking about “tigers”?

Don’t miss out on those clicks. See what keywords are working and find ways to add them to your content. Don’t force it though. People (and Google) will see right through that.

Watch your analytics

Not only are analytics statistics good for keywords, they can also be used to tell you what is and isn’t working on your website.

Let’s say you want your visitors to go to page x from your homepage. Your analytics tells you that 95% of people are going to page y.

You can use that information to move things around, change your call to action, or otherwise get people more interested in page x.

Alternatively, you could embrace page y and consider what is driving people there and how you can use that information to better target your marketing.

Simplify your navigation

Some websites make things harder than they have to be. Who wants to scroll all the way back up a page to get to the menu? No one.

So keep your menu with your visitors as they scroll down. Do you want to have to search for contact information when you are in a rush? No.

Don’t make your customers do it. Add a mobile button that follows your customers down the screen so that they are always only one tap away from a phone call or email to you.

Modernize your design

Your website could be the most up-to-date and modern site of 2019. It could be award-winning and set the standard for websites in the future.

That doesn’t mean anything in 2025 though. In 2025 your website will be a dinosaur.

Most first impressions are made in under one second. No matter how brilliant your content is, you customer’s mind is made up before he even gets that far.

Take some time to look at your design. Honestly compare it to other sites you like, and some that you hate.

Ask a blunt friend for his opinion, or ask a web design company for an audit. Take that feedback and update your design.

These tiny changes could lead to a big payoff: improved google search rankings, improved company reputation, and even improved profits.

If you want to make bigger changes, well, those are probably better left to the experts.