Root out those weeds…
Today’s newsletter is about website maintenance and a new offer for service professionals.
I usually love working in the garden, but lately I haven’t had much time to spend out there. And yesterday, as I looked out my window at the hot 30 degree weather, I noticed the weeds lurking in the yard and beds. Groan…that meant, I now had to do something.
I don’t know about your garden, but I’ve had a bumper crop of weeds this year. No matter how much I pull and swear and curse and dig, those pesky weeds keep coming back. So yesterday, I waited for the sun to go down so the heat wouldn’t be so unbearable, and then I went out to do battle with my weeds. “Why don’t you just use a weed killer?” one of my helpful neighbors observed. Well, because I’m stubborn, and I had promised myself I wouldn’t…you know the environment and all that… Anyway, I find it kind of satisfying to pull those suckers up with their roots and toss them in a bag for the trash.
Later, when I sat down at my computer to do some work that I actually get paid for, it occurred to me that weeding isn’t limited just to the yard. Websites need it too. There’s even a word for it: linkrot. According to Wikipedia, it refers to “links on a website [that] gradually become irrelevant or broken” and to “the effects of failing to update web pages so that they become out-of-date, containing information that is old and useless.”
The problem is that when visitors come to your site and find information that is old, or links that don’t work, they don’t just go to another site – they form an impression about your company based on their experience with your website. Sadly, this means that even though you may have been a perfect match for them, they may never come back and do business with you.
My point: just as maintaining a beautiful yard makes your house more inviting and gives visitors a good impression, so too, keeping your website clean, uncluttered, and free of ‘linkrot’ will invite Internet visitors to come in, stay awhile and find out more about your company. After all, isn’t that what your website is for?
Sweet Deal: New solution for service professionals
Lately, we’ve been approached by a number of people asking for a low cost website solution for service professionals. They don’t carry inventory, so they don’t need a big site, but they do like the idea of a custom-built site because these rank much higher in search engine results than cheap template sites. So we answered the call: perfect for this type of business person is our new two-page website - one page to provide details about the person and the service they offer, and one page to provide contact information and a contact form.
If you, or someone you know, could use such a site, please contact us. We’ll be pleased to provide you with more information about this offer.