The new Gregorian calendar year brings many new changes for your business. Among the list of reminders and strategies, it is easy to forget the minor task of updating your website's copyright notice.
However, just how minuscule or insignificant is this task?
True. Revising your website copyright notice is not a legal requirement.
True. Anything your business publishes on its site is already considered copyrighted whether the copyright notice is current or not.
So, why bother?
The Importance of Updating Your Website Copyright Date
Updating Your Footer = Smart Marketing
Aside from maintaining a current claim of ownership over your web content, it’s simply a matter of smart marketing.
Up-to-date content (including your copyright notice) tells your clients and leads that the information on your website is current.
Current Copyright Notices Can Potentially Unlock the Door to More Leads and Trust
An updated footer tells your visitors that your business website is:
Active
Current
Customer service-driven
Let's take a look into the impact that your footer update (copyright notice revision) may have on your marketing strategy.
Active Website:
Current copyright dates are a sign that your website remains active, even if your web content is static or temporarily "asleep". This is particularly important for websites that:
Operate on a seasonal basis;
Lack dated content (e.g. blogs, scheduled events, etc.);
Miss frequent updates.
Dually important, your efforts to keep your footer up-to-date helps with your SEO rankings, targeting addresses, and other relevant data.
Current Website:
A current copyright date signifies that your business website may also be current with any developments taking place in your industry.
As business environments undergo constant change due to competitor moves, market conditions, technological innovations, and regulatory developments, customers tend to be aware of the changes that affect their needs and preferences. Maintaining a current copyright date tells visitors that your business website is being monitored actively and that its content may be relevant to the current state of the industry.
Customer Service-Driven:
Regardless of having an online business or a storefront, your website is your business’ virtual home.
Your website visitors translate your current content and copyright notice as a sign that your business cares about them as a customer/client. It tells them, "We care about our customers".
Don't Feel Bad | You Aren't Alone!
As an entrepreneur or small business striving to close every single gap in your marketing strategy, it is easy to overlook "minor tasks" such as website updates.
Interestingly, it’s not too difficult to find popular or active websites whose copyright notices are outdated. (See images below.)
Kmart Corporation/ Sears Holdings
Despite the plethora of store closings and recent bankruptcy filings, this popular website's copyright notice remains unchanged after the beginning of the year. Yet, the store continues to provide online retail to consumers, with some partnered sites reflecting a copyright notice of 2017.
If you are a smaller online retailer, you would surely need to practice full website updates.
The Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico
As demonstrated with PMTNM, their website is highly active with a schedule of future events posted on their homepage. However, their copyright notice is outdated. This may not have an impact on their marketing strategy but can result in a decrease in traffic if their events are seasonal or begin to fail in updating year-end schedules.
AUTOMATE THE UPDATE PROCESS, IF NEEDED
Depending on the type of platform your business uses for its website (and who manages it), you may need to:
Add this strategy to your calendar;
Remind your web developer/manager;
Automate the update process.
According to Update Your Footer, you can automate the process using simple code.
Automating your copyright date can be done using PHP or Javascript code. You can create a dynamic timestamp to show the current year (as in © 2019), or to show both the start year and the current year (as in, © 2011-2019).
Update Your Footer provides automation codes in PHP and Javascript for both copyright formats (current year and start year + current year). The instructions are very clear, allowing you to copy and paste the code directly from their site into yours.
Always check with your web developer or programmer before making any changes.
Remember, the small things will ALWAYS matter in your business strategy.
What other changes have you found that you need to implement after reading this article? I invite you to share your experiences and strategies online or send me a message.
Best wishes for your business journey!
Le Williams,
Content Strategist | Copywriter