One thing us Jibers consistently have to emphasize over and over again to our clients, is that your website is a living, breathing, asset. Many people seem to think that as soon as their website is done, they no longer need to worry about it anymore. They view it as a one time cost and after completion, the work is done. You must remember, however, your website needs as much attention as your teeth.

Some people don’t brush their teeth twice a day. Some people don’t brush once a day, for that matter. Some people rarely floss. Some people don’t brush their tongue, and come to work with breath that could kill a small kitten. We all know, if you don’t routinely maintain your teeth, bad things start to happen. Cavities, crowns and yellow teeth are among some of those things.

Your website is no different than your teeth. When was the last time you visited your own website? Do you do it twice a day? Once a day? Ever? When was the last time you added new content to your site? How many years have you gone without a web-flossing? Does it need a cleaning? Could IT kill a small kitten? Quite honestly, if you aren’t regularly visiting and maintaing your website you are probably suffering from web-givitis and most likely a few web-cavities. Maybe all hope is lost, and you now need web-dentures. Hopefully though, you’re doing your best and all you need is a little web-visalign-ing.

Here are 3 easy treatments to help you stay web-visaligned:

1. Be Visible – It sounds sort of cliche, but when you have no strategy behind being visible, it can be one of the hardest things to accomplish. Merely having a website up is not even close to enough these days. You should be creating new content on your site 2 or 3 times a week, as well as updating and “flossing” out those things that could grow into web-cavities. This keeps the material fresh and keeps people coming back for more. It also helps your organic visibility tremendously because Google doesn’t like stale, moldy, outdated, websites. Having a blog as part of your website is one of the best, if not THE best way to keep content fresh, keep people coming back for more, please Google’s algorithms, and improve your organic visibility/ranking.

2. Get a Facelift – Maybe you’re doing all the right things to stay visible, but your website still looks like a flattened pancake. A current looking website is key, and sometimes a good facelift is all you need. Updating the front-end of a website can make a drastic difference in how people perceive your brand and how much trust they place in you altogether. Usually this process is simple and easy. Sometimes it can be done in a matter of a few days with the right team behind you. Some of you think your website IS current, but let me ask you a question or three. Is your website responsive or does it look good on mobile devices? Do you even know what it looks like on mobile devices? Was it designed in 1999? If you’re doing good in these areas, then my only recommendation would be to refer back to number 1. It might look good, but without staying visible, no one will see that it looks good.

3. Never stick a Fork in it – You’ve heard the phrase, “Stick a fork in it,  it’s done.” At the rate technology moves, you should never assume that your website is done – so never stick a fork in it. You may have just completed a new face-lift on your website, and for now it looks great. You may already have a blog that is pumping out new and fresh content 2-3 times a week. But you should always be looking to the future for the next piece of the puzzle to help you stay visible and fresh. You’ll be outdated again before you know it if you don’t stay on top of it. It’s a living, breathing asset that needs your daily attention, nurturing and maintenance. If you do a little piece at a time, you’ll never have to do one giant website migration and update that takes months or even years to complete. Some of you currently wearing web-dentures know exactly what I’m talking about.

It may seem frustrating to think that your website is never truly done. But trust me – this mindset will save your teeth in the end.

Sincerely,

Your web dentist at Jibe.