Use it, or lose it...
It was once the case that a website could simply exist, unchanging, as an online brochure and, properly constructed, still rank fairly high in the search engine rankings. This is no longer the case. While the actual algorithms that Google uses to generate accurate search results are a closely held secret, we do know this; activity of a website as a whole is one of the elements that they consider in ranking one site higher than another, so it is important to add new information (and delete old information) from your website continually.
This new “use it or lose it” reality should manifest a real change in the way companies and organizations view their own websites. By “Use it…” I mean moving from an outlook and attitude that their website is merely an online brochure, to seeing it as something more immediate and interactive, a resource that can become the hub that their organization revolves around.
By adding valuable and timely content on a continual basis, visitors will sense quickly that if some new information is available, that they can reliably count on getting it from the website. By “…or Lose it.”, I mean that by NOT making continual changes to your website, it is lower in the search engine rankings then it could be, and you may never connect with potential visitors.
The natural activity that is generated when content is added, changed or deleted on an ongoing basis, will help new visitors find your website. That’s the bottom line. By the same token, if your site has no new content, previous visitors simply have no motivation to return.
Adding new content is the key… Helping you add that content easily is why we are here.
Adding new content is the key not only to the search engine’s perception of a website’s increased activity, but the key to creating a site where people might want to visit again and again. Helping you add that content easily is why we are here.
Your website should be or should quickly become:
- the visitors point of reference to help them grasp the full scope of your church or business.
- the internal point of reference to all that goes on in your organization.
- the focus of all communication - emails to customers or potential customers should refer them specific things on the website.
- a easily manageable portfolio or showcase of not only completed projects or events, but perhaps even works in progress.
- simply an integral part of your everyday business.
- well designed, fast to load, easy to navigate - easy to share pages via email and easy to print.
- designed to capture the right audience.
Your website should never:
- show old or outdated information.
- be too verbose - break up long passages of text into smaller paragraphs and summarize where possible.
- be neglected - even for a few weeks at a time - review your site often to see if anything has become stale or outdated.
- be constructed in a way that hinders the way that search engines rank your site.
- have misspellings or grammatical errors.
I hope that this will help you understand why we are not looking to do business-as-usual as far as static website design and hosting. If the form of something is determined by its function, and the function of a website is to promote, then we must focus on the ease of adding content *first and foremost.