If you're running a business, then hopefully you have a website. Even the smallest mom and pop shop has a website at this point in time. However, just because you have a business website up and running doesn't necessarily mean that it's effective - or that it's
adequate. Read more to answer the question, When is it time for a new website?
It's not mobile friendly - More people use mobile search than ever before, which means that if your site isn't mobile-friendly, it's going to drastically affect your ability to generate leads. In fact, according to socPub, 57 percent of users won't recommend businesses that have poorly designed mobile sites. If your site loads slowly, doesn't display properly or won't load at all on mobile devices, it's a bad thing.
Related post: What does it cost to get a new website?
It's built using Flash - Websites have stopped using Flash for years. In fact, most major websites can't read it, which means that the use of Flash will hurt your search engine optimization. Not to mention that Flash isn't supported by iPhones or iPads, which means you lose a large portion of your audience if you're using Flash.
It's search rankings are low - Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, which means that SEO strategies that worked five years ago may not work today. If your current content wasn't written with new SEO trends in mind, you may need to update your site.
It looks outdated - Do you remember what websites looked like ten years ago? Would you provide your personal information to a site that looked like that? The visual design of your website matters. If it looks outdated in any way, it can affect how visitors think about your brand. Not only are visitors more likely to trust your site if it's well designed, but a good design reflects on the professionalism of your brand as well, which means that it affects your reputation.
It loads too slow - People do not have the patience to wait for a website to load. The most they'll give you is two seconds before they will go to another site - often a competing site. This means that if your website loads too slowly, not only are you losing potential customers, you're helping out your competition.
It's difficult to update - New CMSs (Content Management Systems) make it easy to manage your website content without the use of code. If it's a real challenge to update your site everytime you want to post new content, you may want to strongly consider getting a new business website.
Your brand has changed - Your business may not be exactly the same as it was a few years ago. If you've changed anything about your brand, whether it was simply a simple facelift or your brand's positioning and messaging, it needs to be reflected on your website. Otherwise, when people visit your website, they won't be able to recognize the site as belonging to your company, even though it shares the same name. Your branding needs to be consistent on all platforms, especially on your business website, or it's going to hurt your brand identity.
These are some of the signs that your current website simply isn't good enough. To find out how you can upgrade your website, be sure to contact us at EnvisionIT Solutions today.