> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://kelfordinc.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to keep your website from rotting — Kelford Labs Weekly - URL: https://kelfordinc.com/how-to-keep-your-website-from-rotting-kelford-labs-weekly/ - Published: 2026-09-03T11:06:49.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-03T11:06:48.000Z - Description: By always working on it. - Author: Joel Kelly - Tags: advertising, attention, brand, clarity, commitment, credible, failure, middle step, presentation, priority, questions, Weekly Labs When we work with a new client we often have to start by delivering bad news about their website. Maybe it was just rebuilt 2 or 3 years ago. Maybe it’s the pride and joy of an executive. Maybe, and more likely, it’s been ignored and it’s technically nobody’s job to keep it up-to-date. **But, usually, the website isn’t *working*, and we have to tell them that there’s no point in doing more marketing until it is.** I’ll just rewrite that again (literally, I’m not even copying and pasting, I’m typing it out all over again for effect): *There’s no point in doing more marketing if your website isn’t working*. Propelling prospects toward a website that they just bounce right off of doesn’t help. More than that, it actively hurts. They don’t go away with *no impression* of the organization, they leave with a *bad* one. They couldn’t find what they were looking for. Or the pop-ups and newsletter banners confused and annoyed them. Or the sign-up form was buried, onerous, or impossible to use. These symptoms are so common we often expect them to be true of any new organization we work with. So if any of this applies to you, don’t worry, I’m *not* talking about you, I’m talking generally. Truly, this is *not* about you. This is life, this is business, this is websites. **And I like to say that websites don’t *degrade*, they *rot*.** As soon as they’re published, they start to decompose. Yes, often through neglect, but always through pure entropy. “If you leave a thing alone you leave it to [a torrent of change](https://kelfordinc.com/updated-a-torrent-of-change-kelford-labs-weekly/)” as Chesterton put it. Websites require a constant vigilance, where they never leave the agenda, they never leave the project list. But they are instead regularly, consistently, and, frankly, *constantly* attended to. **In a few years, yeah, you’ll still probably have to build it again, but at least in the meantime it worked as intended.** And you won’t be starting from scratch, you’ll be starting from insight. Why am I saying this to you today? Because I’ve seen, over and over again, businesses, advisors, non-profits, you name it, investing in marketing (like advertising, social media, and content) without investing in their website. The place to which all of that marketing *points*. Yes, websites are *expensive*, and yes, you may be tempted to cut corners, get a deal, or do it yourself. But, remember, the website is *what your marketing points to*. It‘s the canonical source of truth about your value in the world. **Does it make sense to cut corners on the *single most important* aspect of your brand’s presence and personality?** Now, you might be thinking, “Of course *you’d* say that, you build websites,” but indeed I do not. [We](https://www.kelfordinc.com) do not. We didn’t even build our own. We work with partners to build out our clients’ websites, yes, but *we* don’t build them ourselves. And we don’t price them or mark them up. **We just know how important they are, and the critical role they play in everything else that marketing tries to do.** And we have been stymied and stalled by ill-functioning websites enough times to know that they’ve got to be tackled right away. No, that doesn’t always (or even usually) mean a full, ground-up rebuild. Often, it’s as simple as reorganizing content and menus. But there’s usually *something* holding everything else back. **So here’s what we look for:** - Does the *first thing* the visitor sees and reads explain what the organization does, in one sentence? - Is the *thing we want the visitor to do* (like sign up, learn more, or buy now) *the easiest thing to do*? - Is there [“middle step” content](https://kelfordinc.com/whats-your-middle-step-kelford-labs-daily/) available and easily accessible for prospects who aren’t yet ready to take the next step? - Does the website *look* like the organization is [committed to their brand](https://kelfordinc.com/physicality-signals-commitment-kelford-labs-daily/) reputation, or does it look like someone threw it together over the weekend (or a decade ago)? **I was going to write, “You’d be surprised how often none of these are true,” but no you wouldn’t.** Because you’ve been on websites before and you know that most websites don’t explain themselves, don’t make it easy to buy, don’t give you enough information to peruse at your own pace, and don’t look like the organization is committed to their long-term reputation. I know this may feel like a lot coming at you right now, but I say this with all the patience and understanding in the world. [Kelford Inc.](https://www.kelfordinc.com) has had, like, seven different websites in the past 10 years and maybe half of them were good (guess which ones we tried to build ourselves). It’s not easy for *anyone*, even marketers like us. **But it’s *important* for everyone.** They say [the web is dying](https://www.theverge.com/news/773928/google-open-web-rapid-decline) (and it probably is). But outside of our physical space we need a virtual space for prospects to learn more, get comfortable, and connect with us. And it’s one of the few things within our control. Because that’s where all your marketing is pointing, right? So is it pointing at something you’re proud of, and that’s legitimately helping? Or is it just target practice for prospects who bounce off the surface? If your website isn’t where you want it to be, doing more marketing won’t help. You’ll just be saturating the market with people who went to your website and left with a bad impression. So, do what you can to get your website where it needs to be, and then get your prospects where they need to be. ***On* that website, getting comfortable** [**getting closer**](https://kelfordinc.com/content-that-moves-them-closer-kelford-labs-daily/)**.** *P.S.: Let me know if you’d like some help figuring out what to do next with your website by replying to this email.* --- [***Kelford Inc.***](https://www.kelfordinc.com/) ***are content marketers for expert advisors. If you’re struggling with what to say and where to say it to attract your ideal clients,*** [***we’ll show you the way***](https://kelfordinc.com/contact/)***.***