Best Practices for Updating Website Content
Table of Contents
Introduction
Keeping your website’s content up-to-date is crucial for both attracting and retaining customers, as well as maintaining a strong SEO ranking. Fresh and relevant content is favoured by search engines and can lead to higher traffic and engagement. Here’s how you can keep your website content updated and relevant.
1. Regularly review and update content
Schedule periodic reviews of your website’s content to ensure it remains accurate, relevant, and engaging. This can involve updating statistics, refreshing outdated multimedia, and revising any information that has changed since the last update, especially on content guides, articles, and infographics. Depending on your industry, content may need to be reviewed quarterly, bi-annually, or annually. A good practice is to not use data more than three years old.
2. Optimise for SEO
Whenever you update content, consider current SEO best practices. This includes optimising keyword use, ensuring meta descriptions are effective, and checking that all images have alt tags. Updating old blog posts with new links, content, or optimised images can also give them a new lease on life, making them more relevant and visible in search engine results.
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3. Improve overall user experience
Use content updates as an opportunity to enhance the user experience on your site. This could mean simplifying navigation, speeding up loading times, and making sure that content is mobile-friendly. A good user experience increases the chances of visitors staying longer on your site and engaging with more content.
4. Incorporate multimedia
Engage your audience by diversifying the types of content you offer. Incorporating videos, infographics, and interactive media can help convey your message more effectively and make complex information easier to digest. Multimedia content is also highly shareable and can increase your site’s visibility.
5. Use feedback and analytics
Leverage analytics to understand how visitors interact with your content. Look at metrics like page views, bounce rate, and average time on page to gauge what works and what doesn’t. Feedback from user comments or surveys can also provide insights into how content can be improved or updated to meet user needs better.
6. Ensure consistency in voice and style
Maintain a consistent voice and style across all your content. This helps in reinforcing your brand’s identity and can make your website feel more professional and trustworthy. Consistency in content style, voice, and formatting ensures a cohesive experience for users
7. Promote updated content
Once your content is updated, promote it through your marketing channels. Share it on social media, include it in newsletters, and use other platforms to drive traffic back to the updated pages. Promotion is key to ensuring that your updates reach both existing and new audiences.
8. Document your content strategy
Keep records of what changes were made, why they were made, and what the results were. This can help you track the effectiveness of your content strategy and make more informed decisions for future updates.
