Did you know it’s possible your website’s design could be losing business? It’s true! When a company doesn’t refresh or update its website, it can even result in lost business.
A survey by Blue Fountain Media found that 81% of Internet users think less of a business that doesn’t update its website, while 39% may stop to consider whether they should use a product or service if the website hasn’t had a refresh. Wow!
We’ve put together some signs that tell you it may be time to update your website!
You Don’t Want to Give Out the Company’s URL
OK, that’s a bad sign! When you’re ashamed or embarrassed to give out your company’s URL, then ask yourself why. Could it be that the site is no longer representative of the company?
If you’re not willing to share your company’s URL, then it’s probably time to go for an update!
Website Looks Old & Outdated
Design trends change on a regular basis, which means a business website needs to keep up. If your website is beginning to look old and outdated, this can even cause users to distrust your company. The main reason for this distrust is that outdated sites may appear unsafe to buy from or even use.
What’s more, it’s possible for a website to look unappealing to users. In that case, it’s also time for an update. An effective website design needs to be engaging and appealing in order to engage site users. The end result is that users want to interact with the site.
Site Doesn’t Measure Up to the Competition’s
When your site doesn’t measure up to the competition’s site, then you could be losing business. Site users may leave your site and visit the competitor instead. The reason? Remember, an outdated site may not look trustworthy. If your competitor’s site is updated and with the times, you can bet it looks more credible and trustworthy to site visitors.
There are many reasons your website may not measure up to your competitor’s site. It could be your site’s aesthetics, how it functions, and more. It’s difficult to find the specific issues with the site unless you conduct a site evaluation.
You can offer a survey to site users to find this information and run tests to find out what’s causing the problem.
Is Your Site More Than Five Years Old?
Technology moves at the speed of light these days, which means a website may become obsolete in about five years. Of course, that’s not a specific period; however, with all the technological advances in recent years, it’s always best to update your site if it’s over five years old.
You may even find updating the site helps you rank higher in Google and the other search engines, too!
Website is Not Mobile-Friendly or Responsive
Did you know that about half of all traffic to a website comes from mobile devices? For this reason, Google ranks sites that are mobile-friendly over sites that are specifically geared to desktop computers.
For this reason, it’s imperative that you offer a mobile-friendly version of your website. If you currently have a site that doesn’t use responsive design, you may want to consider building an entirely new site. The new site will need to use a mobile-friendly approach, which is easier than adding responsive design elements to an older, existing site.
Site Speed is Too Slow
Google is increasingly using performance metrics to rank sites. One of the highest-ranked performance metrics is page loading speed. Page loading speed determines where you rank in the search engine results; it also affects site users’ satisfaction. If your site users aren’t happy, the result is a lower ranking in the search engines. Google knows!
Depending on the reasons that are causing your site to load too slowly, it may be necessary to build an entirely new site. This is much easier than trying to fix specific issues that are causing the problem.
Now’s the perfect time to take a look at your page load speeds. Just use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool. You’ll receive an overall score for your site. If this score is below average, it’s time to think about a site update or building a brand-new site.
Branding
As businesses evolve, their branding changes, too. However, a company may forget to update it’s website to reflect its changes in branding.
Branding may change due to a company offering new services and products through a business acquisition and more. These are the types of changes that can lead to branding mismatches on a company website.
Take a look at your business website right now. Does it reflect your current brand? Is there a disconnect between your business and what’s on the website? If so, then it’s probably time for an update or a rebuild of the site. The key is to ensure your company’s message is consistent across all channels, including the website.
Limited Functionality
Limited functionality is another major issue that may cause users to leave the site for a competitor. If your site is having these problems, then it’s time to consider an update:
- Content editors must go through developers to get anything done to the site
- The site doesn’t function as it should for site users
- It is too expensive to add new functionality to the site
The Website is not Delivering Traffic, Leads and Conversions Desired
Has your website seen major drops in traffic, leads, and conversions? Is the website meeting your desired traffic, leads, and conversions? If the answer is no, then it’s time for an update.
These are all indications that site visitors are not finding what they need, they’re having trouble following the next steps, and more.
Summing It Up
Reading through all of the indicators that a site is outdated can be pretty tough. We understand. However, it’s worse if your site is underperforming and losing business.
If you’ve found that your website seems to be out of date, then it’s time for an update or a new site. Now’s the time to talk with your web developer about the best course of action to bring your site up to date and meet the expectations of your site users and the company!