Why you can finish your turkey dinner but not your Web site

Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. I sure did. Per usual, the biggest challenge was pushing away from the dinner table and declaring myself officially finished from stuffing my face. But I did and this act led to a very weird, tryptophan-induced thought at how my just consumed turkey dinner was much like a Web site.

Think about it. Most businesses get all geared up to build a site, loading it up with content, images and other items. Then, after the site is up and running, they figuratively plop down on the couch, loosen their belts and take a snooze. In fact, many businesses will put up a Web site and not make any changes or additions for months, even a full calendar year. Probably around the time for your next turkey dinner.

The fact is a good Web site should never be finished. It’s a constant work in progress. That doesn’t mean major design changes, but adding content on a regular basis.

Why? For starters, there are hopefully things going on with your business–new or improved products or services–that you want to share. Not to mention, providing useful content that educates visitors to your site and presents you as an expert in that subject area, perhaps making them want to do business with you. Or it could be a simple announcement of a new hire, an event you’re hosting, a speaking engagement or some sort of accreditation or certification.

Making your site an active site also will help you with search engine optimization. Google is far more likely to notice a site they have previously indexed if there’s a change on those pages than if it remains stagnant. And, to finish off this seasonal analogy, much like you are more likely to have room for turkey leftovers on Thanksgiving night if you take a walk after your meal instead of a nap.