Should You Change Your Website Often?

It seems like some websites are changing as often as every few minutes. And while this seems to make sense for news sites and those that want to provide readers with up to date information, does this necessarily make sense for your business website? You want to show your visitors that you're constantly innovating your business, but at the same time, does changing all the time seem like you just can't make up your mind about what you have to offer? Here's what you need to think about before you build your business website.

The Case for Change

There is certainly something to be said for always being fresh and new. When your visitors are looking for the latest and greatest fads in clothing, for example, you need to be able to deliver these trends as soon as they're on the red carpet or the runway. Change also shows your visitors that you are always looking out for them and their needs. You can include a daily blog, for example, that gives up to date information on the state of affairs in your business or perhaps on trends in the products you are selling. You might also want to keep a streaming band of words across your website to show updates on things like interest rates or stock market quotes. By keeping your website alive with new information, your visitors will see that you're interested in the long term health of your company.

The Case for Keeping Things the Same

On the other hand, you also might want to look into keeping your website the same most of the time. While there will be a need to change things up from time to time as things are out of date, keeping the basic setup of your website can help regular visitors feel like you are consistent and easy to keep up with. When you're always changing things, a customer can become confused as to how to do things on your site or whether or not your site is something they should spend time on.

The Verdict: It Depends on Your Customer Base

In the end, the case for change will largely depend on whether or not your customers are looking for constant updates. And this depends on your business focus. If you are trying to give your customers up to date gossip, yes, you will need to change your site a lot. But if you offer the same products over the course of a month, there's really no need to change your website until you change your stock.

There will always be times when you will need to change your website – as in when you introduce a new item or you discontinue an item or pricing scheme. But the overall consensus is that you might want to keep the basic structure for return visitors to your site.

Introducing Change to Your Visitors

If you plan on changing your website significantly, you might want to let your customers know well in advance of the actual change. This will give you time to get feedback on your changes as well as help you roll out your new look with minimal problems and concerns. Post a 'sign' on your website about the upcoming change and then provide a link to how the new website will look. Giving visitors a list of the changes they can expect to see will also help them see what they will notice when you eventually follow through.

Change is good, but when it scares away customers, it's not always the best idea. However, you also don't want to keep your website up for so long that you begin to seem outdated. Changing things up every season is a reasonable schedule without being too confusing for visitors.