Innuendoes, jokes, and basic personal hygiene aside, you dont wear the same clothes two days in a row because it detracts from the professional image you want to project. So why do companies commit the business equivalent by letting calendar years go by before updating their Web sites?

Probably for the same reason other tasks go undone: workload, lack of staff, funds, or plain old apathy. Sad to say, but more than a few businesses put up a site and forget about it.

The reason really doesnt matter. A Web site last updated November 2001 shouts we dont care enough about current and prospective customers and clients to keep our only 24x7 marketing tool current. And that kind of message puts companies out of business.

Thats not to say you need to update your Web site as if it is a daily or weekly newspaper. You can, however, find a happy medium between never and on the hour. Quarterly, for example.

If your company puts out a quarterly newsletter, make sure it goes on the Web site. Give it a nice visible link right on your home page. Same with any white paper, company announcement, press release or any media coverage your company or employees receive.

If your company does none of those things, perhaps its time to consider it, especially newsletters. Besides being a great vehicle to keep in touch with your existing customers, a regular newsletter gives you a built-in reason to consistently update your site.

Updates dont necessarily have to be of a marketing nature. Perhaps your company added a new service or hired a new manager or executive. Maybe one of your management team added a degree or certificate to their resume and their bio needs reworking. Keeping your Web site fresh and updated truly is a mindset you need to develop it in order to maximize your Web presence. Otherwise, its easy to let things slide.

Case in point, a recent acquaintance who has a coaching practice. The Web site had literally not been updated since 1998. In wardrobe terms, thats a whole month of wearing the same outfit. In an office setting that might make you the company eccentric. In business, that puts you on mighty thin ice. And with spring in the not-too-distant future, thats no place for your company to be.