Your company website is the first place clients will turn to for information and they trust that the content of your pages reflects the current information about the business. The reality is that the details often change and keeping the information on your site always up-to-date can be a real challenge. Here are 5 tips on how to simplify the process.
1. Identify the sections of your site that are likely to change.
Your contact information, opening hours, list of services, prices, current staff, seasonal promotions. These are important details about your company that are likely to change over time. To keep your site up-to-date you need to identify all these elements and make note of where they are listed on the site.
2. Structure key information in reusable blocks.
WordPress provides you with a host of tools to display the same information on multiple pages – the page header and footer are some of them. You can also use custom blocks or dedicated plugins to present more complex data, like your staff pages or pricing.
Having the information configured in one place and using the WordPress blocks to display it on the relevant pages gives you the assurance that information updated once will display correctly across the entire site. If you are not sure how to restructure your site with reusable blocks, give us a call. We have done it for many clients and would be happy to help you as well.
3. Deal with time lapses.
When it comes to time, it can be tempting to say that you have been “in business for 5 years” or that the promo code is for “this week only”. The problem is that these statements “expire” very quickly. Be sure to always use precise dates when describing any event in time. Ex. Our business opened in April 2017 and the promo code is only valid from Dec 13 – Dec 25 2024. Simple clarification like that makes the page message clear even if you forget to update it for 3 years.
4. Check for ghost pages
Some pages created on the site and forgotten about by the website owner can still be listed on search engines. These pages, especially if they are not linked from the main menu, can be easily overlooked when the site content is updated. There are 2 easy ways to check for ghost pages.
- Look at the page listing on the WordPress Dashboard to make sure all the pages that are posted are being maintained.
- Check the Google Console list of indexed pages to see that there are no surprise listings.
5. Make it a habit
Reviewing your site for out-of-date information should be a habit but the frequency depends on your specific business. Some websites need to be checked weekly, others quarterly. The most important is to schedule a task for yourself to give your site a look over on a regular basis.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hourglass-on-a-desk-of-a-woman-sitting-in-front-of-her-laptop-5899079/