New website? Now the hard work really starts

Keeping your most important marketing asset up-to-date and relevant is critical.

  • 6th February
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Having helped several of our clients to revamp their websites in recent months, we’re accustomed to the entire build process, and used that experience to write our previous post about creating a website brief. Even when working from a solid plan, implementing a new website is a serious undertaking, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that putting your new site live is the end of the hard graft. The real work, however, is only just beginning.

Now that your latest creation is online and open for visitors, going live is simply a starting point, and the long-term management of your new site will ultimately determine whether it successfully achieves the goals established at the outset. With that in mind, here’s a few helpful tips to help you stay on the right track.

Get the word out

With a fresh new-look and bundles of attractive, engaging content, your business has never looked better and your new site deserves to be the star of the show. A website project will almost certainly represent a significant investment of both time and resource, so give yourself the best chance of seeing a positive return.

With more of us living our lives online, the opening of a new website is akin to the opening of a new high street store, so make your message heard by utilising any avenues available to you, whether that be via social media posts, email footer banners, email updates to your mailing lists or changes to printed collateral. You can even encourage your sales team to mention the new site during their interactions with clients.

Ensure the site tells your story

First impressions are just as important in the digital world as they are in the real one, and visitors who encounter a site which fails to provide relevant information from the outset end up feeling both confused and frustrated, so why would they stick around to find out more?

With any major project, diligence with the details can sometimes mean you lose sight of the bigger picture. Now that you’re live, take a step back and review with a fresh mindset. Is your content really telling visitors who you are, what you do and how you do it?

What might have originally seemed very clear could be a little clouded in hindsight, so make time for a second look and undertake any changes that you feel are needed to avoid confusion.

Keep the content coming

Whilst your new site might be filled with a plethora of interesting insights and informative pages, it needs to be more than just a snapshot of your business at that moment in time. Your website is an ever-evolving marketing asset that needs to change and develop in line with your business. If it doesn’t, what were once up-to-date pages that represented the best you have to offer can very quickly become out-dated.

Should you happen to formalise any new partnerships or introduce additional services, make sure that these events are captured and added to the site. Posting blogs is a brilliant tool when it comes to maintaining site relevancy. You can deliver a continued stream of updated content that makes clients aware of the latest company news whilst evidencing the hard work that goes on every day.

You should also look to create updated case studies to showcase what you’ve achieved for others. Not only are you providing evidence of your capabilities, you’re demonstrating the calibre of client that you’re working with. Continue to craft new content as you capture new opportunities and further re-enforce your appeal to new leads.

New content is the lifeblood of your social media channels too.  With new blogs, case studies and services coming online, it’s fresh news to share and amplify the reach.

Review, remove and refresh

Whilst adding updated content is important, it’s just as crucial to stay on top of what has already been posted. The presence of out-of-date case studies or un-supported service information can be confusing for visitors, complicating your message. Make sure that anything which no longer feels relevant is removed.

Equally, it is always good to refresh areas of your website over time. As is the case in many industries, the widely-recognised terms or descriptions for certain services, processes or technologies change as our understanding advances, so make sure that your site is speaking the same language as your industry-savvy audience.

Get in touch with us to learn more about website management and content creation.

 

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