Do you sometimes wonder if you should get around to rejigging your website, but other priorities get in the way? Here are some cues that an update could be on the cards.

1. The design is not as spunky as it seemed when the site was first built

Websites – just like fashion – have eras.  Remember the boxed-in, squashed sites with columns on the right, and lots of tiny text? The internal pages with tediously long text that went on for Africa?  Plus, large banners that meant you had to scroll before you could see any real information?

Perhaps you’ve seen a competitor website that looks clean and attractive, or you’re yearning for certain web design features that are popular? If your site is no longer visually attractive to you, then your potential customers probably feel the same way. Sight is the most important of all our senses. Design, colours, images and fonts are essential to make a good positive impression.

2. Your business has changed

The only constant in life is change. Your business and products have undoubtedly changed over the past few years.  Your site may not truly reflect today’s reality. Your website is your digital business card – often the key reference point for existing and new clients. Does your current site reflect changes in direction or highlight new products?

3. Team pages aren’t reflective of your current business structure

Particularly among professional firms, the ‘Meet the Team’ page is one of the top three pages.  Does the layout of your ‘About’ and ‘Team’ pages showcase your size and market position?  Does it filter enquiries to relevant team members?  Do you make the journey clear for where visitors could go after they’ve read the content on these pages?

4. It’s a hassle to manage seasonal specials and blog posts

Seasonal offers are a great way to spike revenue. Blog posts are a key tool to demonstrate your ethos.  These are both simple, cost-effective ways of stimulating interest in your site.  Are you able to make these changes quickly and with no fuss, or is this a daunting and time-consuming process?

5. It’s getting harder to rank well on Google

Google - like all tech companies - is constantly changing and “improving” the customer experience – sometimes at your expense. As Google changes its algorithms, factors such as page speed, responsiveness, user experience, search optimisation techniques, and the quality of content get different prioritisation. It is given (by Google) that your website has to change to take these factors into account. If not, your rank will start to slip. If you are not ranking in the top three of page one for at least 20% of your chosen search phrases, you are missing out on business.

6. You are ranking well, but the phones are not ringing

Turning website traffic into leads is part art and part science. If a site is difficult to use or tired, customers will “bounce” away. Even a more recent site can yield disappointing results.  The stats don’t lie.  A good site needs intuitive and easy navigation with a clear journey and engaging calls to action.  

Analytics highlights quickly where the opportunities are. The answer is not clear cut, but by developing a plan, trialling variations, the results can be significantly improved.  Who doesn’t want 25% more leads?

7. Information is spread throughout your site

We are getting lazier. The idea that if the client wants it, they will trawl for it, is no longer relevant with today’s short attention spans. Ideally, the customer should be able to access the info they are looking for within three clicks – or even on the page they land on. Landing pages allow people to access specific info about the subject they are searching for, on the page they arrive on, and go all the way through to complete an enquiry. This reduces “click-time” and improves the experience.

8. Long loading time

How long does it take your website to load? 3 seconds? Longer? For every second beyond, you lose 15% of visitors. The reasons for slow page speed include old technology, heavy themes, redirects, too many plugs ins, large images. Time to speed up!

9. The mobile experience could be sharper

On average, more than 50% of traffic is generated through mobile users. The performance of your mobile site is even more important than your desktop version. How does your website perform on smaller screens?  Are there mobile-specific features to make it easy for your customers to read the information and to contact you? Not only is your mobile site appearance important for instant leads, Google will also base the ranking of your site on your mobile presence.

Which factors resonate most with you? We should add the need for consistent web updates to the certainties of taxes and death, in our world where Google is King and keeps changing the goal posts.  When you’re ready to explore upgrading your site, our digital detectives would be delighted to hear about your vision, and share some nuggets on new technology and design that addresses the signs above. You can contact us on 03 348 8477 or drop us a line via our contact form