Signs Your Website Needs an Update

It’s not always easy to determine if your website needs an update. If you haven’t updated your site in some time, it’s likely that it could benefit from a facelift. Likewise if you feel that your website doesn’t stack up to the competition. If you are embarrassed to point potential customers to your site, then you know that something isn’t right.

Even though you may be aware that your website is lacking, it’s a big project that you may not be ready to commit to. But you should. Your website is the digital storefront to your brand, and it has a significant impact on your traffic, leads and conversions.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine if your site could benefit from a new design.

• Does it work on mobile? It better! Mobile searches surpassed desktop searches in 2015. If you don’t deliver a good user experience on mobile devices, you’re going to leave prospects underwhelmed. A responsive design will take care of this problem and ensure that your site works on all devices.
• Does it look modern and stylish? Take a look at your competitors’ websites and then compare them to your own. Does yours look stylish and up to date? Companies are seeing better results with simple, uncluttered websites.
• Does it align with your business objectives? Your website should align with your business goals. Is your website intended to inform? Inspire? Sell? Many businesses change over time, but they don’t always update their websites to reflect them.
• Is it updated often? Content is the best way to keep your website updated. You should be adding content regularly, and this shouldn’t be difficult to do. Your website should also be backed by a quality content management system (CMS).
• Are the newest products featured? An updated website should reflect the products and services you are currently selling rather than old or outdated ones. Unfortunately, many older websites find themselves selling old stock online rather than featuring their newest stuff.
• Is your bounce rate low? A high bounce rate indicates that people aren’t interested in exploring your website further. It’s possible that the design may be to blame. A fresh, responsive design may be all you need to lower your bounce rate.
• Is it loading quickly? People aren’t going to sit around and wait for your site to load. If your pages don’t load within 3 seconds or less, your bounce rate will increase, and you’ll lose opportunities to convert traffic.

If you answered mostly “no” to these questions, it’s probably time to get moving on a new design for your website. To learn more about updating your site, contact WSI Star Web Solutions at (888) 853-4449.