Do you update your website regularly? If not, you could lose out on business because your prices or product offerings are outdated. Let me tell you a story to illustrate the risk you take in letting things slide on your site for too long.
My husband and I recently listened to the audiobook, “The Startup of You” by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. My husband was interested in this book because it offers advice on how to accelerate your career by managing it as if it were a start-up business.
Since Reid Hoffman is LinkedIn’s co-founder, it came as no surprise to me that the book offered strategies on how to use LinkedIn to build your network for career advancement. The authors mentioned that more resources could be found on the Startup of You website, so once I finished the book, I made a beeline for the site to see what else I could learn.
The website offered a downloadable PDF called, “Advanced Tips for Using LinkedIn.”
Woo-hoo! I couldn’t wait to check it out and see what information LinkedIn’s co-founder had to offer. I figured this could help me and my clients use the social networking site more effectively.
Wrong.
The document contained outdated information, such as how to use LinkedIn’s Events and Answers features that don’t exist anymore.
It’s not that surprising, I suppose. The book was written in 2011 – ancient history in social media terms. LinkedIn has constantly evolved and changed in the 8 years since Reid and Ben wrote the book. And of course in 2016, LinkedIn got bought out by Microsoft, prompting even more changes.
But here’s why that shouldn’t matter, and why the book’s website (and its resources) should be updated.
Why You Should Keep Your Website Up-to-Date
#1 – The book is still in print… and audio format, and is available in local libraries. (That’s where my husband found it.) If you’re going to keep the book in circulation, update it! Or at the very least, update the freebies you’re offering on the website. I’m a savvy LinkedIn user… but the people who are facing career upheavals and go to this book for help will be disappointed that they’re not getting the most up-to-date advice on how to use the site effectively.
The same holds true for lead magnets on a small business website. [bctt tweet=”Review your free offer to make sure it contains the most up-to-date information ” username=”gloriagracerand”] as it relates to your products/services. I had to update my free SEO report to mention the importance of optimizing for mobile websites, something that wasn’t necessary when I first wrote the report.
#2 – Outdated information makes you look unprofessional and could even damage your reputation – This book is still for sale on Amazon, (I’ve seen reviews from 2017), and many of those buyers will visit the website to obtain the other resources mentioned, such as that Advanced LinkedIn Tips PDF. If someone isn’t familiar with LinkedIn, they will likely be puzzled or downright annoyed that the features like Events and Answers don’t exist anymore.
If the information you provide on your small business website is outdated or misleading, visitors to your site could become so annoyed that they start talking bad about you on social media. Or they could write a negative review about your business on Google, Yelp or any of the other review sites. Once a bad review gets posted online, it can be difficult to restore your reputation.
#3 – Broken or outdated social media links can cost you followers and sales – The social media links on The Start-up of You’s website are outdated.
The “Join the Network” link in their menu bar, and the LinkedIn group icon link (seen above) are broken. My guess is that the group has been disbanded since the link goes to this “Oops!” page.
And there’s no point in clicking the “Follow us on Twitter” link, since they haven’t tweeted since 2015.
Social media icons on a website are a great way for your prospects and clients to stay connected with you. But if those links are broken, you’re missing out on building relationships with those website visitors. No relationship = no sales!
I hope you now see the value in keeping your business website up-to-date. Your reputation and your company’s future depend on it!
If you’d like to learn how to use LinkedIn more effectively for your business, download my free infographic: 4 Steps to Turn Cold Calls into Warm Leads with LinkedIn.
