What happens when you put your Web site’s maintenance in the hands of someone you trust to update the site properly?
I’m sure that most web designers do the right thing, but several weeks ago I saw something quite disturbing that all marketers must learn about and watch closely even if web maintenance isn’t your strength.
I visited a message board to read the latest postings in one of the niche industries I follow. Here a quick conversation from the board.
“When is the conference to be held?”
“It’s in August. Here’s the Web site.”
One click took me to a site I hadn’t seen in a while, especially when searching for similar sites. I wondered why the site never showed up through search engine citings. Clicking my right mouse button, I opened the site’s source code to view the keywords.
Every keyword was adult site language, the type you see in your Email to enlarge this and grow that.
I don’t understand why a web designer would add keywords about adult entertainment to a site that has nothing to do with that industry, and I won’t spend time trying to uncover the reasons.
What I do know is that it’s critical to have your Web site reviewed by a third party, as explained on this page, to uncover details you may not recognize as detrimental. How successful can a site become when keywords not only don’t match but are downright incorrect?
Outsourcing makes sense, but not when it’s counterproductive to marketing. Know which words and phrases are associated with your site and update them periodically. The best interest of your Web site is squarely in your own hands.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for bringing this to the attention of your readers. The suggestion for a third party to review your website is a wonderful idea. My Virtual Assistant reviews sites for typos. I will add this one to her to do list.
Hi Jennifer,
I see both great use of keywords and no keywords in sites I review. It’s very easy to put this task into someone else’s hands, but it’s just as easy to check this part of a Web site project.
I’m glad that this post is a reminder and hope that, like you, site owners will check their keywords and make improvements whenever possible.