6 Smart Reasons for a Website Upgrade.
In today’s advanced online landscape, the web is likely the first place your customers and potential customers are going to look to learn about your business. In order to attract your target audience and online visitors, it’s crucial to keep your site up-to-date and relevant. Check out our following list to see if your company is overdue for a website redesign.
1. It’s been 3-7 years since your website design was touched.
The average lifespan of a well-designed website is 3-7 years. However, as the web continues to advance and change, a good rule of thumb is to redesign your site every 2-3 years. There are always new developments that create better, more user-friendly experiences for web users and we recommend that no matter when your current site was last built, you should constantly be updating your website’s content to add relevant information for users (and Google!) to explore.
2. Your site isn’t responsive.
When visitors enter your website via a mobile device, are they able to navigate around and read your content with ease? In 2017, a little over 50% of website traffic was generated through mobile phones. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly with a responsive website design, you're turning away half of the users who try to visit your site, which negatively impacts your website bounce rate, sales, and engagement. A responsive website allows users to access your site via mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or other platforms while creating a consistent customer experience every time a user visits your site.
3. Your website has long load times.
If your website takes longer than 3 seconds to load, you could be losing nearly half of your visitors. Users today expect things to be available right when they want and need them. And your web pages are no exception. It’s pretty simple: the faster the speed of your website, the happier your visitors will be. Fresh, optimized page load time leads to noticeable improvements in customer experience, conversion rates, and ultimately, your sales revenue.
4. You can’t find your own website on Google.
The whole reason you’re online is so customers and prospects can find you there. If you type your brand name into Google and your site doesn’t appear as one of the top 5 results – you have a major problem! Accessing your site is how your customers find information about your business, figure out how to get in touch with you, and potentially purchase your products/services. An effective optimization strategy will help your brand name rank high and drive visitors to your site.
5. You can’t update your own content.
The inability to control what’s on your site makes it hard to stay current and provide your users with the most up-to-date information about your company. If you’re no longer offering a certain product or service, or have extended hours of operation, your customers need to know. Keeping your site current with updated content increases users’ trust with your website and brand.
6. Your website isn’t capturing sales leads.
So you invested in a website a few years ago, and it’s not doing anything to help your sales. No forms, no calls, no emails – nothing. This is a problem! Your website exists to build your customer base, so if you’re not getting the results you want, it’s just useless web real estate. A re-design can help. Examining your site’s conversion rates (visitor-to-lead and lead-to-customer typically being the most important) can provide you with a clear idea of what needs to be adjusted.
