Why You Should Be Updating Your Writing Website Regularly

I've been looking through our users' writer websites in order to get a feel for how they use their online writing portfolios. It's always nice to stumble upon a use case that hadn't occurred to me before. Recently I spotted this on one of our user's portfolios:

This site is to showcase my writing, however recently it has turned into something slightly more; both a useful tool in organizing the number of tasks i'm working on, as well as a handy way to keep readers updated on what's coming next.

I recently wrote about how your writer website is more than just an online portfolio; it's also a full-fledged marketing website and, as Stephen says, an organisational tool for cataloguing your best work. But as Stephen also points out, it's a way to keep people up to date with what's new.

Why share what's new? Because it tells people you're alive, you're for hire and you're a creative machine! It also lets you promote your work, announce events, share your thoughts and get feedback. Think about it from a reader's perspective (especially if that reader is a potential client, editor or employer): if they go to your website and the most recent writing sample is from 2005, they might think you've moved on from writing or aren't serious about your work.

Here's a few ways to keep your writer website loaded with fresh new content:

• Use the blog to share weekly updates about you and/or your niche
• Make sure the Writing Samples section of your website is up to date with the latest samples and clips
• Refresh the homepage copy on a regular basis to make sure it reflects the current state of play and the latest writing samples you've posted to your portfolio (Writer's Residence does this automatically)

Can you think of any other ways to keep your website fresh and lively? Or other uses for your writing portfolio that I hadn't thought of? Let us know!