The challenge of the small or medium business (SMB) owner is to keep fresh content flowing to their site. Each SMB may feel like there isn’t enough business to report on, their business hasn’t changed, or their business is so busy they don’t have enough time to do so. Making content updates to your site let’s the search engines know that the latest information is available on your site and it isn’t out of date. This can make a difference in your search engine rankings, depending on how often and the method in which you update. Just because you may be a SMB doesn’t mean you are lacking new web content possibilities. Below are some ideas on how to get new information on to your site without too much time or worry.
Seasonal Updates
Creating a seasonal schedule to update your site, including the themes you would like to use, can go a long way in making sure that your website has new content for each season. Being able to reword a few sentences on each page with some seasonal language can go a long way in showing your users that you ARE updating your site frequently. Search engines will see that your content has been updated on that page as well, which can help your rankings and position. Updating the Description meta tag can immediately show users that you are up-to-date as it is also displayed in your search result listing.
Market Updates
Most SMBs are constantly watching their market for information on what type of economic swings might affect their business. Small businesses are especially susceptible to changes in the market that might cause their business to be hurt drastically or even put them out of business altogether. Writing about your market as a whole can put your users in touch with what your business is going through. They’ll be able to know what you’re feeling about the state of your market, where you think the market is headed, and see a more personal side to your business.
Technology Updates
Not all SMBs may be providing products or services that involve technology, but new and innovative ideas are happening for the majority of businesses. Even if you don’t plan to adapt a new technology, reporting on it can show your users that your business is keeping an eye on technology that can help makes your products or services better as well as less expensive to them. As users are searching for information on these new technologies, your site may have enough clout to rank in the search results, giving you exposure to users who may not have come across your business otherwise.
If you decide to use a blog to make these types of content updates to your site, you’ll also want to read Amber’s post on blogging for small businesses. She’ll help you get the most benefit from operating a blog for your business. If you’re going to make these content updates directly to your site, check out Eric’s post regarding some guidelines for updating website copy. His points will make your website content updating even more efficient.
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