How do you know your website is due for an upgrade?
The answers to that are as many as the websites out there. While change can be a scary, time-consuming, and sometimes, costly venture, it remains a good thing; ushering in the new and useful at the expense of the old and no-longer-so-useful. The same holds true in the field of web design and online marketing. Among other things, updating your website could help you maintain your spot in the search engine rankings as well as add to your standing as an authority in the eyes of your visitors.
If you are still skeptical about the need for a website update, here are 10 reasons why you should:
1. You Have Not Upgraded Your Website in 4 Years
If you answered ‘yes’ to this, then it’s about time you got to work updating your site. Innovation moves at the speed of light in the world of IT, and those who fail to keep up get left behind…in the search rankings, that is. Websites that were developed a while ago are likely to have code that no longer meets up with industry standards. This translates to a dip in the usability of the design.
For example, websites that were built years ago tend to carry a lot of unnecessary HTML code which may slow down load speeds, which in turn affect search page rankings.
2. Your Website Design is Not Responsive
If your website is not responsive, you cannot predict how it will look on different devices. Given that mobile and tablet devices have surpassed desktops as go-to devices for browsing in most parts of the world, responsive website design is a factor that can no longer be overlooked when considering updating your website.
Besides, in 2015 Google made changes to their algorithms that favor websites with responsive designs over those without in the search rankings.
3. Your Competitors Have Sites that Look Better than Yours
It’s never a good sign to get left behind in anything–least of all in online marketing. If you realize that your digital footprint is getting smaller than that of your competitors, then it may be a good idea to refresh a few things in your online marketing strategy.
Your website is a good place to start, especially if all your competitors have new and improved websites.
4. Your Website Is Not Intuitive and User-friendly
An intuitive and user-friendly website is well structured, consistent, and easy to navigate. If your website does not tick all these boxes, then it’s likely that the majority of visitors leave in frustration after a few seconds. The very small percentage of visitors that do stay end up having a hard time figuring out where to go in order to get what they want.
It’s also likely that you are having a hard time as well getting these visitors to go to places you want such as sign-up pages, product launch pages and so on.
5. Your Site Is Not Visually Appealing
A website that looks professional and offers useful content persuades visitors to see you as an authority in your field. A poorly designed or outdated website that offers dated content will do the exact opposite for you and your business.
You should consider updating some of the content on your website which are either dated or no longer performing as well as they used to.
6. There Are No Effective Calls-to-Action
Does your website have effective calls-to-action to turn visitors into customers? A call-to-action is a button or link which is placed at a strategic point on a web page to convert prospective customers into leads once they complete a particular action. Your call-to-actions should be prominent, attractive and compelling enough to entice readers to complete the desired action.
7. There Are No Tools to Measure Effectiveness
Many of the modern tools that you need to measure the effectiveness of your website are strictly compatible with modern websites. Getting a modern website will take a lot of the guess work out of your online strategy.
8. For SEO Best Practices
Recent content tends to be favored over dated content by the search engine. Your website might be okay, but if it is still offering the same content that it did 5 or more years ago, then it’s bound for an inevitable drop in the rankings.
Redesigning your website also gives you a chance to take stock of how well your content and conversion strategies are doing.
9. For Security Purposes
Innovations in information technology move at mind-blowing speed-and that is true even for hackers. While every website faces cyber-security challenges, it is easier for older websites to fall victim due to their reliance on older-possibly outdate-technology. You should also make sure your site is using an SSL Certificate and is protected with HTTPS.
10. For the Sake of that Nagging Feeling at the Back of Your Head
Sometimes, you just know. Not everything can be measured, and perhaps you can’t quite put it in words. If your gut feeling tells you that your website is not reaching its full potential, then you could consider making some changes you feel are necessary.
Contact us today to start the conversation. We would love to chat.
