It's much easier for me to address this issue now, several months after having redesigned our website and currently possessing an absolute commitment to never again falling prey to this marketing "sin."
The truth is, even though we have constantly preached the importance of avoiding it, we at 30dps (always using the "cobbler's kids" excuse), made this egregious mistake for the better part of a decade. And, I can tell you now; we WON'T make it again... EVER!
It is increasingly clear, that any serious marketer, business owner, or top executive that genuinely cares about sustainably growing their business, absolutely MUST accept the reality that their website is one of their most valuable marketing tools. And as such, it MUST never be allowed to stagnate. If you aren't investing serious effort in updating your website, in design, technology, and most importantly, with amazing content, your company is at risk of becoming irrelevant—no matter what else you do.
Today's consumers and businesses depend upon search engines and the company's websites, blogs, white papers, etc. to research virtually every buying decision they make. Therefore:
- Your website design MUST be up-to-date, and readily usable on all major platforms, especially mobile.
- Your website content MUST be compelling, fresh and meaningful.
- Your website MUST do more than sell, but it MUST sell! (As I've insisted before, you will often sell more, by selling less.)
If you're not investing serious time, effort, and money in keeping your website fresh and impactful, you're losing ground to someone else who is. If you want to be found in search engines, the most important thing to do today is to produce great content on a regular basis. Hardly a week goes by when we don't encounter someone who thinks that a website is something you build, then once you've paid for having that website built, you can essentially ignore it for another 3–10 years. Folks, WE WERE THERE OURSELVES... and I can tell you, it was nearly the death of us.
The mentality of building a website like it is a building—something you can build, and do a bit of maintenance on occasionally—is the most common and dangerous marketing mistake you can make! It would be better to unplug your phone and walk away from your email than to ignore the importance of viewing your website as a living, breathing organism, that requires constant feeding and care. Ignore this advice at your peril. SERIOUSLY!
