Do you ever wonder if your website is out of date? How do you know when it is time for an update or complete redesign? With the advances in technology you must weigh the pros and cons of keeping your existing site with the benefits of a redesign.
Your website is the most important piece of your online marketing, and it needs offer a branded and seamless experience for your users.
Here are 10 ways to determine if your website is out of date
1. Your website has an entry page
If your website has an introductory page, whether it’s content or a video, that the user must view and “click to enter” then you have an entry page.
These pages do nothing for your visitors, adding an extra step to access your website. This antiquated technique is disliked by search engines and has a negative impact on your search engine rankings.
2. Your design is, simply put, bad
Web design can be subjective but everyone knows when a website doesn’t look professional or like a modern website is supposed to. Take an honest look at your own website, a few favorite websites you visit, and most importantly, your competitors’ websites. Does yours match up or does it look like it was designed in the late 90’s?
3. Your website does not resize to the viewers device
Does your website adjust to the device your visitors are using? Responsive websites scale to desktops, tablets, and smart phones to provide the best user experience. All three devices have different resolutions and widths.
If users see your full website on their smart phone and have to pinch and zoom to read anything and navigate, you could lose them to a site that accommodates their viewing preferences.
Responsive solutions are also considered a best practice for search engine ranking. Keeping search engines happy with your website is important if you wish to rank for your targeted keywords.
4. Users cannot easily access relevant information
Users should be able to access important content quickly and easily from any device. If a visitor can’t find the information they need from you, such as a phone number, in 30 seconds or less they may take their business to a competitor. Important information should be prominently featured on the homepage and not buried in content.
A common mistake with content is having too much or too little information. Either way, visitors cannot find what they are looking for.
5. Your website is not viewable on all devices
Adobe Flash is the most common culprit of technology that is not viewable on many devices. Flash requires a plug-in that slows load times and not everyone has installed. iPhones and iPads do not even support Flash. This is bad for your site visitors and impairs usability. Flash websites are also not as search engine friendly as HTML.
6. Your website requires technical staff or a third-party vendor to update
A successful modern website should be built on an easy to use content management system, or CMS. A mobile CMS adds additional benefits of being able to update content from any device.
Your organization or company should be able to make updates with no knowledge of programming. A CMS can save money and improve the quality of your website through relevant content updates that can be made in a timely manner.
7. Your website takes too long to load
Page load times are an important part of any website’s user experience and ultimately, your success. Website users do not have the patience to wait for your pages to load, and will leave your website if they become frustrated due to slow load times. Slower page load times lead to an increase in page abandonment.
Page load times are also becoming more important when it comes to search engine rankings. Search engines strive to serve results that provide a great user experience; part of a great user experience are fast loading web pages.
8. Your website does not accurately express your products, or services
Your website should be current, showcasing the products and services your company provides and expressing your brand. If you’ve introduced new products and services, that are not featured on your site, you are not serving your visitors and potentially missing out on acquiring new customers.
Most people perform research, visiting multiple competitors, before converting to customers. They cannot be expected to know what your companies full offerings are if you don’t tell them.
9. Your website isn’t converting
If your website is like most others, you want it to convert site visitors. Maybe you have implemented a marketing campaign. Whether you chose organic SEO, pay-per-click, newsletter marketing, advertising, social media, or some other tactic, you have increased traffic to your website but are not seeing an increase in these leads into valuable customers.
One strong possibility is that your website is so poorly designed, written, and programmed, that it is not equipped to convert leads. Do you use landing pages and calls-to-action? You can’t ignore the importance that your website plays in converting leads to customers.
10. Your website was built a long time ago
It is inevitable that, if your website was launched a long time ago, it is out of date. Makes sense, right? Unfortunately, a long time ago may be as recently as three years.
Technology changes so quickly and things are so competitive online that you can’t afford not to give your website the best chance for success.
Your search engine rankings, user experience, conversions, and ultimately, your websites success or failure depend on a modern website that offers value and serves your customers’ needs.
For most businesses, your website is your online presence, your face to the world. A proper website will work for you and provide a great user experience for your customers.
