It’s one of those details which means nothing and everything at the same time. The copyright year on your website is the kind of detail which, if remained unchanged would not mean the end of your business or attract a fine from the ATO like failing to lodge your BAS on time (BASTARDS!)
The year after the copyright symbol on your website does speak volumes. Think about the last time you saw that symbol combination number. How did you feel about that business?
If the copyright year was for the current year then you were reassured that the business was:
- still in business
- the information, including pricing and specifications, was up to date
- and they pay attention to detail.
If their copyright year was not current then you probably had a sliding degree of enthusiasm for that entity based on how out of date the © is. Or was.
The greater the time between this year and the © year on the website the lower the perceived value of the information available. Doesn’t mean it is wrong or even out of date at all. But in branding, perception = reality and for the sake of a 60-second task – Nike it!
This works in real life too. Car dealers hate having plated stock made in the previous year on the yard or in the showroom. That’s why they have January sales; to sell the plated stock from the previous year even though they are only months old. People have an aversion to buying the old stock at full price. In 99% of cases, IT’S THE SAME CAR!
This is repeated across any industry where NEW = GOOD like white goods, electronics and fashion.
Bottom line; put a reminder in your calendar for every 31 December to update the © year across all your websites (and downloadable documents).