Your website is your digital storefront and one of your most important marketing tools. It’s how customers find out about your business, and it’s how they decide whether or not to buy from you. If your website is outdated, it’s not doing its job properly.
Over time, your website has become outdated. It happens to the best of us. Perhaps your business has changed, but your website hasn’t kept up. Maybe you’ve added new products or services, but your website still looks like it did when you first launched, or worse it has the hodge-podge look of a teenager’s bedroom transitioning from princesses to pop music idols. An Elsa poster here, Harry Styles over there… you get the idea.
Technology and trends change, with newer and more customized features emerging as time goes by. Websites are not immune to these changes, and they slowly become outdated as well. These websites may have been a great site for your business at one point, but now they could be costing you money.
Here are a few telltale signs that your website needs an update
It’s the little things
Visual elements have shifted placement. Buttons stop working. Links no longer function. These little problems can create a big impact on customer confidence.
It looks outdated
Web design trends come and go (well, mostly go), and as Business 2 Community points out, an average website has a “shelf life” of about 1.5 to 2.5 years. If your site looks like it was designed beyond its expiration date, customers will assume that your business is stuck in the past.
It’s not mobile-friendly
According to Google, about 94% of people use their phones and tablets to search for local information. If your site isn’t designed to be viewed on these smaller screens, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers that enjoy browsing on the go.
It’s not easy to use
Websites should be easy to navigate and user-friendly. If yours is confusing or visitors cannot find what they are looking for quickly, they will likely leave your site and find their way to a competitor’s site instead.
It’s slow
Bluntly stated, if your website pages load too slowly, visitors will leave and go elsewhere. In a 2018 Google Research, the average load time for a mobile page is 15.3 seconds. To improve transaction conversion, aim for a 1 to 2-second load time, according to Portent. Conversion rates decrease for every additional second it takes for your site to load. This impacts your bottom line in lost contacts and potential revenue.
Why an outdated website is costing you money
You’re losing out on potential customers
An outdated website reflects poorly on your business. It makes you look like you don’t care about your online presence or that you’re not keeping up with the latest trends. This can turn potential customers away before they even get to know your business.
Your search engine ranking may suffer
Search engines like Google regularly update their algorithms, and if your website is outdated, it’s probably not optimized for search engines. This means you’re missing out on valuable search engine traffic and potential customers when they search for relevant keywords.
You could be missing out on new technology
Frequently, new technologies emerge that can help your business grow online. For example, if your WordPress plugins haven’t been updated, they can cause serious functionality problems on your site, lead to security issues, or worse hacking.
Here’s what you can do to fix your outdated website
Evaluate your website design
When you add new products and services, you’ll want a fresh and modern design to reflect your brand’s current offerings.
Audit Your Website’s content
Is all of your content still relevant? If you have outdated content or information that’s no longer relevant, it’s time to refresh or delete it. Perhaps create new ones or hire a blogger or a copywriter.
Check Your Website’s Functionality
Are all of the links on your website working? Do you have a slow upload time? To enhance the browsing experience, analyze your website’s speed and find out where you can make improvements.
make Sure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly
In today’s world, more people are using their phones and tablets to access the internet than ever before. A website design may look great on a desktop, but may not necessarily translate to the smaller screen size of a mobile phone.
Always look for ways to improve your website
If you’re reading this, chances are your website is outdated and in need of a facelift. But don’t despair — there are plenty of things you can do to bring your site up-to-date. With a little effort, you can make sure you can say goodbye to Elsa and create a website that is modern, stylish, and user-friendly, attracting new visitors and customers.
Do you need a website strategist to help you create your next-gen online presence? Whether you’re considering a redo or starting from scratch, our team is ready to get the job done. For more information, book a consultation today.