We’ve preached in a number of posts about the need to keep website content fresh. It’s important from an end-user perspective to provide quality and value. And fresh content is also important from an SEO standpoint – keeping it fresh allows search engines to re-evaluate and re-rank your site more often. Blogs, both written and video, are usually touted as the most common ways to improve SEO, but there are some alternative ways as well. Here are a few lesser-known ways to keep website content fresh:
Images
Adding new and relevant images to your site is great not only for your site visitors, but for web crawlers as well. Display your social media on your site through a widget or plugin. The big message is to make sure your images are optimized using good “behind-the-scenes” information, including alt text, title, and descriptions. Be sure to have smart and usable captions under images as well. Not only do new images make end users happy, but web crawlers have recent information to analyze and rank.
Use video content
Video content is becoming increasingly popular on the web. By adding video content to your website, you can keep your content fresh and provide a more engaging experience for your visitors. Videos can be used to showcase your products or services, provide tutorials, or even just provide entertainment.
Testimonials
We often think of testimonials are being important for our marketing to potential customers. And that is true, but adding new and or updated testimonials to your website is – say it with us – fresh content! If you’re utilizing a third-party review site like Yelp or Google Reviews, consider putting some of the reviews on your website as well. If you aren’t using a third party, reach out to your business partners/customers and ask for reviews. Ask questions like, “What do you enjoy most about doing business with our company? How has our product worked for you?”. The more personal the relationship with the people you’re contacting, the more in-depth the questions can be. For a blanket email to customers, keep it high level. Be sure to ask permission to post responses – and link to their business or website. This is important for validating the testimonials with customers as well as good SEO.
Add a knowledge base section
Creating a knowledge base section on your website is a great way to keep your content fresh. Not only does it provide valuable information to your visitors, but it also adds value to your website. A knowledge base section could include how-to guides, frequently asked questions, and other resources that your audience may find useful.
Revive an Older Post
OK, we know we said these would be alternative ideas to blogging, but this one is a little outside the box. If you’re stumped for new material or in a time crunch, opt to update an older blog and then re-post. Do not simply cut and paste into a new post. Instead, create a new introduction that talks about why you are choosing to re-post the information. Also, be sure to update any information that may now be out of date.
How Hammersmith Support Can Help
Hammersmith Support’s comprehensive monthly maintenance can help get your site on track and keep it there with monthly checkups. Schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can help.