Running a Ghost Town Cafe: Why your Website Needs New Content

Imagine if you visited a computer store’s website and you noticed the most recent article on their news page was published 5 years ago. Now, imagine if you tried to look them up on Google and did not find them. Now ask yourself how likely is it that you would buy your new laptop/iphone/missile defense system from them? Would you worry that you were getting an outdated model that the company may be struggling since they can’t update their site and quite possibly may not be backing any warranties if they may fold quite soon? Might you wonder if they are actually still open?

Now let’s imagine a different scenario: you stumble onto a nice sleek website that shows a sale listed for that particular week. It also has really informational reviews and blogs that help you get through the decision-making process. The site also has a lot of recent updates and news articles listed so you get the sense that they are really plugged in and worthy of your big technology purchase. The prominent phone number and review pages finally convince you that your search is done and that if anything goes wrong you will have someone to call.

In light of the two scenarios I described above, I cannot help but emphasize enough how important it is to have fresh content on a website. Given the limitations that businesses have on time, a blog page is usually the best option for adding fresh content, which tells your viewers that you know what is happening and are trustworthy, while simultaneously communicating to Google that you are an active authority site on the keywords you are targeting.

Think about it this way, you are walking down the street and have two restaurants to choose from: One has peeling wallpaper, and a roach peeking out from a tear in a seat cushion, whereas the other has a shiny new coat of paint (not smelly new, but new enough), and the staff smiles at you while you ponder outside the door. Which one sounds like it has the promise of a tasty, salmonella-free bite? I think we know the answer. The same sort of logic applies to choosing to do business with a company online; if it looks like it has not been updated since 1997 it sends the message that it is not concerned with quality.

Having a site that is not up-to-date is basically like trying to run a cafe in a ghost town, you may get a tourist or two once a month, but they will probably just think you are crazy and ask you for the directions to Walmart.