Website Makeover – Is it time?

In our last blog, “Prepping for a Website Makeover”, our experts touched briefly on Web Design, SEO and Content. In this next blog in the series, Ross Feldman goes into depth about why you may need to re-do your website this year.

Your Website Is Outdated

When conducting an online search, it doesn’t take long to see which websites are up to date or not. Technology and design trends change so rapidly that even a site built five to ten years ago can look outdated today.

Five years ago, web design focused on punchy, statement graphics. Drop shadows, glares, and image slide shows were a big trend in website design, but today they’ve gone out of style.

More recently, flat design is the most widely received and accepted web design. Think simplified, minimalistic and easy to read. A clean home page with beautiful images, portraying an overall picture of the location of and services offered by the company, usually featured on a flat page where you scroll down for more information. For more specific information and bonus features, you can then click through to the internal pages.

If your website was developed before 2014, it’s worth a close look to see if it is up to par with today’s design standards. If it’s not relevant or designed to meet today’s trends, take the necessary steps to update it.

Your Website Is Not Mobile-Friendly

Mobile Internet use has skyrocketed in the past few years. Today, seventy percent of Americans own a smartphone, and more Google searches are conducted on a mobile device than a desktop computer.

Think about instant gratification—that desire to have what you want, exactly when you want it. That’s how your average consumer is scrolling through the web. If your website is not mobile-friendly, you’re losing customers.

Your Website Is Too Slow

The speed of your website directly impacts a customer’s experience. Visitors are not going to wait for all the media to load in your website. In fact, 40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.

One of the key factors that Google looks at in determining where to rank a website, is how fast it loads. Google knows that people like fast websites, therefore Google is willing to help rank your website higher if it runs quickly.

If you have a slow website, it’s time for you to think about getting it up to speed this year.

It’s Difficult to Make Changes to Your Website

It’s important for you to be able to update your website content regularly. Relevant, helpful content creation is one of the top ways to please your customers, as well as rank higher in Google’s SEO. Being unable to post content to increase your business is a paralyzing place to be as a business owner. If you find it too hard to change or to get changes made to your website, then this is the year to fix it.

In Summary

Your website is your online reputation and your audience's first impression of your business is based almost exclusively on your website. If it’s out of date, people who visit your website may assume your business is out of date as well. If your website doesn’t look current, then you are not positioning yourself well in today’s economy.