Cornelia Luethi's marketing blog

Updating a website is a chore that most business owners find as onerous as shaving their legs. But hairy legs aren't a good look, online or under your trousers...

Keeping a website updated is a chore as onerous to the small business owner, as it is for a lady to shave her legs regularly.

It’s one of those jobs that you know you should do, but man it’s a hassle. And there are so many great excuses: something else was more urgent; you ran out of time; and so on.

When it comes to your legs, hey, you’ll just wear trousers and leave them for another day.

Surely no-one’s going to see!

But that’s the day when you step into a deceptively deep puddle. Your shoes and socks are soaked right through. Rather than squelch squelch round the office, leaving pools of water in the carpet, you have no option but to take your shoes and socks off and pad around in bare feet.

Which is quite a chink in your corporate armour: you’re always known as the immaculate, well-tuned-out one. The embarrassment!

Uh-oh, Adam in Accounts is having a good old snigger at you in your bare feet. And judging from the looks he’s given you, know just know that he’s spotted your hairy ankles.

A similar scenario can occur with your website

After all, surely no-one actually reads every word on a website? So what if half the staff on the “About Us” page have left; or the Services you’ve listed are no longer relevant. And the Copyright date at the bottom is three years out of date. Details, details!

But one day you’ll get a prospect phone you up who’s read every single word on your website.

And they’ll ask you about something which you’ve long since forgotten about or discontinued. In short, they’ve caught you on your (hairy) back foot. And you spend the rest of the phone call trying to regain your credibility.

Not only will Adam in Accounts never see you in the same light again, neither will that prospect.

Regular attention makes the job less daunting

Schedule the time for the updates. Whether it’s once a week or once a month – set that time aside, and put up a big “do not disturb” sign if you have to.

It’s also a good idea to have an “ideas” document where you jot down all your thoughts as they pop into your head. That way, you’ll never be stuck with Blank Page Syndrome.

Like many chores, updating a website becomes a lot easier if you’ve created the time; got the tools to do it; and have everything you need right at your fingertips.

There’s no reason why you should ever be caught out with an out-of-date website (or hairy legs)!

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© FX Marketing Limited 2010. All Rights Reserved.
Article written by Cornelia Luethi.
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