Website upkeep for trades businesses: what goes stale first

So geht es

1. 1Enter your address. Type your business website address.
2. 2Let us look. DustOff reads the visible text on your main pages.
3. 3Read the result. Every dusty passage appears with an excerpt and a reason.
4. 4Get reminded. Add your email so DustOff checks again on your rhythm.

Where the evidence goes out of date

Anyone comparing contractors is really asking one question: are you still around, and are you busy? Most of the evidence for that answer sits in places that are easy to forget once they're set up.

• Promotions and discounts with an expired period
• Portfolio projects whose most recent example is years old
• Mentions of grant or rebate programmes that have since ended
• Job postings for positions that were filled long ago
• Lines such as "serving the area since 2015" that no longer land as recent

Why the portfolio carries so much weight

A homeowner comparing three contractors looks at photos before they read a word of copy. If the newest project on your page is from three years ago, that reads as "quiet" even if your calendar is fully booked — the page is answering a question wrong.

The opposite mistake also happens: a site with only glossy, ten-year-old showcase projects can feel just as distant as one with none at all. A recent, ordinary job often reassures more than an old, impressive one.

Where to start

Start with the homepage and the portfolio page. One new project added every quarter is enough to keep both feeling current, and it doubles as material for quotes and referrals.

After that, a regular outside look covers the rest: DustOff reads your published pages, compares the text with today's date, and flags anything that has quietly stopped being true.

The small print that costs a callback

Job postings are worth removing the day the role is filled, not the day someone notices they're still live — a lapsed posting attracts applications nobody can answer, which wastes an applicant's time and looks careless from the outside.

The same goes for a rebate or grant programme mentioned in your copy: once it ends, a customer who calls expecting that discount is starting the relationship with a disappointment you could have avoided by removing one sentence.

Häufige Fragen

Are old portfolio projects a problem?

Old projects are fine as long as recent ones sit alongside them. The problem is only when the newest example is years old.

What should I do about expired grant mentions?

Remove or update them quickly. They set an expectation your business can no longer meet, and that shows up in the first phone call.

How often should the site be checked?

Monthly is plenty for a small business. Check immediately after finishing a notable job or filling an open position.

Does a founding year in the copy go stale?

It ages more slowly than a promotion, but a line like "since 2015" eventually stops feeling like a selling point. Revisit it every few years.