3. Out-of-Date Information

Nothing says “You wasted your time by coming here!” more than arriving at a dive store’s website, only to discover that many, most or all of the dates for classes, trips and activities have passed.

Yet if you go to the majority of dive store websites in the USA, that is exactly what you will find. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including:

• The site may have been created with no thought to its growth or maintenance (or budget for doing so).
• The staff member or “volunteer” webmaster who was maintaining the site may have gone on to other things or no longer be available.
• The company that created the site may no longer be in business.

Whatever the reason, it’s a mistake you can’t afford. Despite what you may think, visitors who find out-of-date information on your website will most likely not call or visit you to get current info. They will simply go elsewhere — most likely to a competitor whose website is up to date.

There are a number of steps you can take to prevent this from happening, including:

• No matter who creates your website, make certain there is a plan in place to ensure its ongoing maintenance — and a budget for doing so.
• If you maintain your own website, create a spreadsheet that lists, by date, when class, trips and activities have passed. Sort these by date, and check it at least every couple of days. When you see that the starting date for any item has come and gone, remove it from your website immediately.

You wouldn’t waste time at a car manufacturer’s website if it only covered last year’s models. Don’t expect your customers to be any different.

2. Websites That Never Change »

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