Why Giving Your Website a Facelift is a Critical Part of Doing Business
Web design trends are constantly evolving. Feature and functionalities that were cool a minute ago can now make your site seem outdated—and the penalty for being out of vogue is often a dip in traffic. Not to mention the fact that many people equate a poor website experience with how the company will do business. The question for many business owners is how to determine if your site packs a punch, or is in need of a makeover.
5 signs your website might be out of date:
1. It’s not mobile-friendly
Your website should look equally good on desktops and on smartphones. Why? Because today, more people access the internet from mobile devices than desktop computers, and that number keeps climbing. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you might be missing out on a huge chunk of your audience. An easy way to see if your website is mobile-friendly is to do a quick self-check: type in your URL in your phone and poke around your website to see where it’s working, and where it’s falling short.
2. No data tracking
Without the right tracking tools in place, it’s not so easy to figure out what’s working and not working. Use analytics tools to track everything from how many visitors you’re getting over time, to how many pages they’re viewing per session. Information like that can help make sense of what’s drawing people to your site and why they’re leaving, providing a clear opportunity to improve any weak spots. Google Analytics is a great place to start, but there are lots of other more advanced options as well.
3. No focus on lead generation
A beautiful website is great, but if it’s not actively bringing in business, then it’s not doing its job. Optimizing your website for lead generation puts it to work, guiding people out of the prospect phase and turning them into customers using gated content and well-placed calls to action. CTAs should be brief, action-oriented, and should demonstrate value. That’s why it’s a great idea to place them at the end of your blogs, where you’ve already shown your visitor how you can help them. You should also have clear CTAs on your homepage to capture new visitors who are excited about connecting with your brand.
4. Outdated content and branding
Consistently updating your website is an easy way to build relationships with consumers, and earn their trust. Nothing pulls a visitor out of the sales funnel like like a dated logo and stale blog content that hasn’t been updated in months. It may make them wonder if you’re even still in business. Fresh content can also can help boost your site’s ranking in search results, making it easier for people to find your page.
5. It’s not secure
This one is a bit technical: The beginning of your site’s URL needs to be “https,” not “http.” The “s” stands for secure; websites that don’t use “https” don’t have the proper security measures in place to make sure your visitors’ data is safe, which can scare away some users. Even if you don’t collect sensitive information on your website, intruders can still exploit an unprotected website to trick your visitors into installing malware, or falling victim to identity theft. Some of your visitors may not notice these changes, but the ones that do will appreciate this security measure.
If you spotted any of these red flags on your website, it’s time to get yourself back on the right track. Need some help? Let’s YAK. We can kick up your web design and integrate it with your overall branding and content strategy for maximum impact.
