How Often Should Your Business Update Its Website?

You finally got your website finished.

Everything looks good. The photos are updated. Your services are listed. The buttons work.

So…now you can forget about it for the next five years, right?

Not quite.

Your website shouldn't be something you build once and never touch again. Your business changes, your customers change, and the way people find you online changes too.

That doesn't mean you need to redesign your entire website every six months.

But you should be checking in on it regularly.

Here’s what I recommend.

Give Your Website a Quick Check Every Few Months

Every 3–4 months, take 15 minutes and actually look through your website like you're a potential customer.

Not as the business owner who already knows where everything is.

Pretend you know nothing about your business.

Can you quickly figure out what you do?

Is your contact information correct?

Are your hours correct?

Are all of your links and buttons working?

Are you still offering everything that's listed?

Have your prices changed?

Are there outdated announcements, dates, team members, or events?

These are little things, but they matter.

Nothing makes a website feel abandoned faster than finding information that's obviously two years old.

Update Your Photos At Least Once a Year

This is a big one for me—probably because I'm a photographer.

Your photos tell people a LOT about your business before they ever read a word.

If you've remodeled your space, added employees, changed your products, updated your branding, or simply don't look anything like your current headshot anymore, it's probably time for new photos.

For most businesses, I recommend planning for updated branding photography at least once a year.

Businesses that are very active on social media or regularly launching new products and services may need fresh content even more often.

You don't necessarily need to replace every image on your website each year. Just keep things current.

Update Your Website Anytime Your Business Changes

Don't wait for your annual website check if something major changes.

If you add a new service, put it on your website.

If you stop offering something, take it off.

If you hire a new team member, add them.

If someone leaves, remove them.

If you move locations, update the address.

If your hours change, update them.

If you've completely changed the direction of your business, your website should change with you.

This sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how often businesses make changes everywhere else and completely forget about their website.

What About a Full Website Redesign?

This is different from simply keeping your website updated.

You don't need a brand-new website every year.

Generally, I recommend taking a serious look at your website design every 2–3 years.

That doesn't automatically mean you need to rebuild it.

Ask yourself:

Does this still represent my business?

If someone found your website today without knowing anything about you, would it give them an accurate picture of who you are now?

Does it work well on a phone?

Is it easy to navigate?

Does it feel current?

Does it lead people toward the next step?

If the answer is yes, you may only need a refresh.

But if you're embarrassed to send people to your website, constantly explaining things that aren't clear on it, or you've completely outgrown what you originally built—that's probably a sign it's time for something new.

Don't Forget About Mobile

Please pull up your website on your phone every once in a while.

Your website might look beautiful on your computer and be a complete mess on mobile.

Check your text.

Check your buttons.

Make sure photos aren't cropping people's heads off.

Try filling out your own contact form.

Click through your navigation.

You want to know what your customers are experiencing before they have to tell you.

Your Website Should Grow With Your Business

I think this is the easiest way to look at it:

Your website is part of your business—not a project you finished.

You don't have to constantly change it just for the sake of changing it.

But it should accurately represent the business you're running right now.

So give it a quick check every few months. Update photos and content as your business changes. And every couple of years, take a bigger look at whether the overall website is still doing its job.

Because your website may be the very first interaction someone has with your business.

Make sure what they find still looks like you.