8 signs your website needs to be upgraded!
How much time does the average person spend on the internet browsing the web? Good question! We’d argue that consumers spend a very significant amount of time online, and as a growing business or a company looking for a facelift, having an eye-catching and engaging site is one of the best ways to turn a visitor into a forever client.
But what if you already have a business website and it’s not offering you the results you’d expected? Chances are you’re in need of a website update!
Even if you already have a site, online trends shift quickly and it’s important to stay on top of what’s popular. Prospective clients are likely to judge the reliability and quality of your company based on the navigability and design of your site. There are several signs to look out for to ensure that your website is performing exactly how it should!
Here are the 8 signs that your website needs to be improved
1) The website is not mobile-friendly
It can be argued that internet users are spending most of their time online by way of a mobile device. According to Smart Insights, 75% of the average user's online time is spent on a phone, rather than a desktop computer or even a tablet. This percentage is only growing, and for this reason, mobile responsiveness is excessively important when it comes to a positive user experience.
Another important note is that search engines such as Google will take mobile load times into account when ranking your website. If users are experiencing longer than usual wait times, it’s unlikely they’ll stick around to even check out your site. Therefore, it is crucial to design your site for both a mobile-friendly and desktop-friendly user experience.
Check out this article for more information:
Web design: how to make sure your website is responsive
2) It was designed with Flash
Unfortunately, if your site is still using Flash to operate, it’s outdated. Most Apple devices, including iPhones and iPads, do not support Flash. Also, some search engines, including the most prominent Google, as well as Bing and Yahoo cannot read a website built or operating with Flash.
Not only is this terrible for the SEO of your site, but users will need to install a separate plug-in just to access your site.
Unless you’re hiding gold beyond those online walls, it is unlikely that browsers will be willing to take the step to download the plug-in. The use of Flash significantly detracts from the overall user experience, as it is difficult to use.
From your perspective, it is difficult to maintain. HTML5 is an excellent alternative to Flash, which developers are now using instead for animated features. Further, HTML5 works on all browsers and on smartphones.
Does your company website need to be improved?
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3) Traffic is not converting visitors into clients
You may think that traffic isn’t converting into clients because you have bad traffic, but that’s not always the case. Often, a website may have good traffic and be taking the right steps to market effectively.
However, traffic may not be converting into sales because of specific holes in the content of your site. It would be recommended that you employ Google Analytics to figure out ways your content can improve to convert browsers into returning customers. In some cases, it could be the user experience that is costing you sales. Do some demanding work and figure out how and where you can improve.
4) Your web design is outdated
If you haven’t updated the design elements of your website in quite some time, it is likely that you should brush up your aesthetic. Most customers are going to associate the design and functionality of your website with how smoothly your business runs. As you should know, a company generally only gets one chance to make a good first impression.
For this reason, it is necessary for your website to be the best it can possibly be. Website design isn’t overly complicated, or you could consider working with a professional who will be aware of all the trends, as well as the ins and outs of the industry.
5) Your website runs too slowly
Most studies suggest that consumers have an attention span that runs between 2-8 seconds. If your webpage takes a significant amount of time to load, chances are that most browsers aren’t going to be sticking around. If your website is old, and thus, runs slowly, it is unlikely that your customers will give you the benefit of the doubt.
A slow website can easily be interpreted as an unprofessional business. Not only does a long loading time annoy customers, it is terrible for your search engine ranking. Having a website that loads quickly will ensure that your clients stick around and see what your business is about.
6) High-bounce rate
If you’re not too familiar with the backend of your website, now is the time to get informed. Google Analytics can let you know all about your bounce rate. Unfortunately, the higher the bounce rate, the worse it is.
A high bounce rate essentially means that visitors to your website or returning customers are getting a negative first impression, and are giving up and going elsewhere. This could be because of any of the above reasons, including a poor user experience or bad design. Chances are if potential customers are unable to find what they’re looking for, they will move on.
7) Your competitors outrank you
Employing effective SEO as well as understanding content marketing is essential for any business website, as this is virtually the only way to access a wealth of new clients.
When an internet user visits a search engine, this technology relies on specific algorithms to identify websites that are completely static or are not updating their content. If your site has engaging and informative content that is continually updated, it is likely that you will have better visibility then your competitors.
However, if you’ve let your site fall to the wayside, it’s likely you’re ranking lower on search engines and thus, your visibility is struggling. A great way to tell how you’re doing is just to google your own website. Where do you rank? If your competitors rank way higher, it may be time to rethink your marketing strategies.
8) Your SEO is not good
As we mentioned in each of our examples, SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is one of the keys to the success of your website. If you do not use the tactics of SEO to structure your website, chances are it will not be found by search engines or users alike.
Your website is one of the best marketing tools you have, and if it isn’t formatted properly or updating frequently, you are simply wasting this potential resource. Again, if your content is static, it will be ignored, as search engine algorithms change and evolve. A dated website will only hurt your ranking and in turn your business. So just follow through, stay current and update, update, update that content!
To learn more about SEO and how it works, check out "Organic referencing: what is SEO?"
Are you looking for examples of company websites for inspiration? Check out this article:
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