How do you know when it’s time to update your website?
It’s not always an easy question to answer. You might love the design that was developed a few years ago or have a personal stake in the layout that makes it hard to be objective. As long as your website still generates some leads it’s good enough, right? You personally may not see any issues with your website… but what about your prospects and customers? The Internet moves quickly and you don’t want to be left behind because of personal bias or worse—because you haven’t been paying attention to how your site is performing.
Your website is your virtual storefront. It’s important that you keep it up to date and not just visually but technologically as well. Let’s review five objective signs that it’s time to update your company’s website.
This article is part of the Complete Guide to Planning a Success Website Redesign Project.
1. Site navigation has become cumbersome or unwieldy
As you grow you add pages and soon you’ve got a mess that is hard for people to use. As you try to make an old site design fit your new needs, you might have to bury important information behind multiple clicks. People can’t find the information they need—sometimes you can’t even find the information you need.
Learn more about current site navigation trends in our recent article:
Website navigation design trends to watch in 2017.
2. Your site looks like it was designed years ago
While web design is subjective there are styles that are decidedly not. A few years ago websites were designed to fit in one browser window configuration. Home pages were squeezed in ‘above the fold.’ And it was common to see designs boxed in with margins of colors—or literal boxes. Those designs feel very outdated in an Internet that is now focused on flow. Today’s websites make better use of the space in which they are viewed and are responsive to best fit the user’s viewing choice. Navigation flows in different ways and site pages are far from boxed in.
Two easy cues are small text and lots of extra space on the right/left in your browser window.
3. You’re dropping in search results
Do you update content regularly? Are there broken links? Is the information accurate? Are you following the latest Google-friendly content rules? These are all common issues that can cause your website to drop in search results. And they are all common issues for a website that has outgrown its usefulness.
Learn more about search engine optimization:
- Writing for SEO
- 10 SEO tips from Search Engine Watch
- TBH Creative Search Engine Optimization Services
4. You aren’t taking advantage of newer technology
Today’s websites are easy to edit with robust content management systems. New websites also tie into a variety of customer relationship management software helping your company generate more leads and see a stronger return on your website investment. Social media. Blog feeds. Automated emails… the list of new technology and tactics that can enhance a newer website goes on and on (and changes every week). If your site is hard for you to manage and doesn’t integrate with your sales and marketing systems, it’s time to consider an upgrade.
Learn more about digital marketing tools:
- How to choose the best content management system
- How 500 posts on our company blog has benefited us (and why you should start blogging ASAP)
- I spent a week getting certified in Hubspot and this is what I learned
5. Your sales team is embarrassed to give out the URL
Perhaps the strongest sign your website needs a redesign? Your sales team stops telling prospects and customers about it. A good website is one that your sales team wants to pull up on a sales call and use as a tool to close the deal.
Learn more about the importance of a strategic, modern website:
- Transform digital marketing into your top salesperson
- 6 things we can learn from the evolution of homepage design
Many companies find themselves experiencing a few—or all—of the signs on this list.
If you found yourself nodding your head as you read through them, let’s talk.
