I’m shocked at the number of business owners who don’t see the value in having an up-to-date, informative, easy-to-navigate, aesthetically pleasing website. However, in all fairness unless you’re someone like me, a marketing professional or a designer you may not spend all day researching and keeping up to date on such matters. Therefore, a business owner who is off doing your own thing, you might not even know you’re website is in need of some serious TLC. I’ve put together this list to help you determine if it’s time to for a refresh.
You May Need to Update Your Website If:
You haven’t updated the site since it went live on the web
You purchased your business from someone else
You’ve changed locations, business hours, or added or removed services
You list employees and some of them have left and new ones have joined your team
Any of your site’s images are blurry or low-resolution
You haven’t changed the copy (the written words) on the page in a year
You haven’t updated your blog, events, calendar or other pages on the site that aren’t “timeless” and which may give visitors the idea you’ve neglected it for some time
Pages or links are broken or don’t load properly
You overuse or misuse hyperlinks instead of creating call-to-action buttons
You’re on social media but your website doesn’t tell people to like/follow you or link to your social media pages
You’ve changed your business name or logo (Slapping your new logo on your old site it might dilute your brand.)
Your logo is on a white background which overlaps a different colored website background (This is sloppy design work and means you’re using the wrong logo file type.)
The overall navigation isn’t trendy. In other words your site shouldn’t look like a word document with some pictures thrown in, it should contain interactive design elements that lead users directly to the information they are looking for
Your domain name contains lots of characters (Long domain names make it hard for people to easily recall it from memory.) or if it no longer is the closest match to your business name
Your site isn’t mobile friendly/have a mobile version
The last thing you want is for your audience to visit your site and get the feeling that it; your brand or your business is stale, old or just out of touch with what’s trendy today. Yes websites can be costly but they can also be highly responsible for driving traffic and sales that allow you a return on your investment and then some. If your competitor’s website are updated, then you certainly need to keep up with the Jones’, and if they aren’t doing, then your updated site will provide you that much more leverage in the market place.
Still not sure if you need to invest in a new website? Reach out today for a complimentary assessment.