Are you finding that your website does not seem to be generating the traffic you want it to? That it seems outdated, difficult to navigate for users, does not look as good as you want it to or that your competitors have better looking and functioning websites?
Then it’s time for you to either update your company’s website or to create an entirely new one to make sure it meets the standards of today’s digital world.
Here are nine tell-tale signs that your website needs a revamp.
1. User experience is suffering
Pleasing users is one of the most integral parts of a website.
If your website is not engaging or easy to navigate then users will not use it and will look elsewhere to take their business.
If it’s not easy to find things on your website, then it’s time for an update or a completely new in order to make it more user friendly and easier to use.
2. Limited functionality
Your website should be designed to turn visitors into clients which could lead to sales of your service or product.
If your website does not provide adequate functionality for users and no longer compares to your competition, your content editors have to talk to developers to put anything new on the website, or the cost is too much to add extra functionality, then it’s probably time to update and make these basic tasks easier.
3. Competitor's website is better
Beating or outdoing your competitors is one of the most important goals for any company no matter what industry you are in.
Although there is something to be said for doing what’s right for your company and not always following the competition, if your competitors have websites that look and work better than yours, then it will be a struggle to win clients over your competitors.
If you find that your website is trailing behind your competitors then consider updating your website to give your company a competitive advantage.
4. Aesthetics
As humans, we love things that look good. Outdated websites are often boring to look at and do not entice modern audiences.
If you think your website doesn’t look the best then it is certainly time to update and to try and make it memorable for visitors so that they come back or are more likely to stay on your website for longer increasing the number of leads.
A survey by Blue Fountain media found that 81% of users think less of a business or company if their website is not updated and 39% would rethink using a product or service if the website is not fresh, user-friendly and current.
5. Platform adaptive
In the modern day, more than half of all website traffic comes from mobiles and Google now bases its rankings on mobile as opposed to desktop version of websites, therefore it’s crucial to give users a good mobile experience of your website.
If your mobile website is separate or the website does not use responsive design then building a new site from scratch using a mobile-first approach rather than trying to refit it with mobile friendly elements makes more sense.
6. Doesn't reflect your brand
It is very normal for businesses to undergo changes which can lead to evolutions in branding, this can also mean that you have a website that is no longer true to your business’ identity.
Your website should reflect your current brand and value, if it doesn’t then it can send the wrong message to your audience and can be harder to get leads if consumers are confused.
7. Limited traffic
Websites are designed to drive traffic for your business to get leads that can result in potential sales of your company’s product or service.
If your website is no longer generating the consumer traffic you want it to and analytic results from your website don’t show good results, then an update to your website may be the vital step to increasing consumer traffic and leads again.
8. Outdated
Your website reflects your company online for people who have never heard of you or who are researching you and first impressions are important as they could either be a potential lead or someone may never consider your company again.
A general rule of thumb would be to update your website every couple of years, however, if your business is in an industry which changes fast then it may need updating more frequently.
Today’s world moves fast and it can be easy to fall behind especially in the Google search rankings.
Websites that were developed a while ago will likely have code that no longer lives up to industry standards which means a dip in the usability of design.
One example of this would be that websites built a while ago tend to carry a lot of unnecessary HTML code which can slow down load speeds and therefore affect search page rankings.
Similarly if your website contains old information and the products or services are no longer new or provided then this needs to be updated otherwise consumers will be misled.
9. No calls to action
Effective calls to action on a website are one of the best ways to turn visitors to your website into customers.
A call to action is a button or link that is placed at a strategic point on a webpage to get potential leads to do something you want them to.
Calls to action should be enticing, compelling and attractive to make people want to do the desired action, without this even if people are visiting your website they are much less likely to do what you want them to and invest in your company’s product or service.
Conclusion
If you find that your business’s website is displaying any of these tell-tale signs that it needs an update then go and do something about it, now!
For your company to move forward and be competitive in your industry, your website needs to be up to date and of the highest quality possible.
If you would like to talk more about this topic or see if SALVé might be the right development partner for your next project, feel free to reach out to us today.
