It’s important to know that a website is not a ‘one and done’ thing. The average website has a lifespan of around three years and trends move on quickly, so refreshment and redesigns are important. I believe it’s important to avoid following trends blindly when designing a website. However, it’s equally important to keep up with the latest advancements as a website that looks outdated might discourage potential visitors.
Not only that, but keeping your website updated and optimized for SEO is key for getting found online as well as keeping your website secure. Even if you don’t have a WordPress website, maintenance is still important; you should be checking for broken links and refreshing content regularly.
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I think if you think that your website can just be put up there and left, then it’s likely to get a bit neglected. Now, if you are building on something like WordPress or you’ve had some build a website for you in WordPress, it’s even more critical that that website is maintained. So you have to run your WordPress updates, you have to run theme and plugin updates on a regular basis. And just a few days ago, there was an incident where WooCommerce and Elementor Pro were vulnerable to hacking.
Designers and developers often offer website care plans, which include running updates, premium plugins, and sometimes even update hours so you can make small tweaks. You might also want to consider having a design retainer to help you keep your website looking fresh and up-to-date.
Don’t forget professional copywriting and photography either, as these will help elevate your website and ensure your marketing efforts don’t go to waste. There is a lot to be said about having a good starting point. A well-designed website with good photography and professional copywriting will elevate your website. While other aspects are important, having amazing copywriting is more important for your business than a beautiful website with bad copywriting.
I would like to clarify that even though a website might have great content, it’s not enough to simply launch it and wait for people to find it. It requires an active effort to promote it and spread the word. The key here is that it’s not a one done thing. You need to be doing marketing well to drive traffic to your site. It’s not like you can just put your website up one day and the next day sales are gonna pour in, and I think that’s important to talk about.
Need to polish up your brand’s presence?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and need help polishing up your brand presence, I’m running a free 15-day challenge starting on April 10th. The challenge includes email prompts and worksheets to help you think about your website, branding, and marketing. Sign up and start working on your online presence today!
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Hey, I’m Kirsty McGill the creative behind Elm Leaf Studio. I’ve been a designer for 13 years now and building websites for most of them.
Elm Leaf Studio is a creative studio that exists to help small, ethically-minded businesses grow and thrive.
When I’m not designing I mostly spend my time running around after a toddler nowadays, and if I get a spare moment I enjoy reading, learning and making art.
