If you’re ready to go into the new year with a strong marketing strategy, this should include a review of your website. Here’s what to look for:
With tech moving so rapidly and the online world becoming more and more a part of our daily life, a website that you built a few years ago probably isn’t cutting it today. This means there are a lot of websites out there that need to be recreated to keep up with emerging trends and technological changes.
So, is it time you gave your website an overhaul? Here are some of the sure-fire signs that ‘a new website’ should be top of your action list in the new year.
1. It’s not even close to being mobile-friendly.
Nearly 40% of all web traffic in the Oceania region comes from mobile users, which means it’s extremely hard to maintain a competitive advantage with a website that’s not mobile-friendly. If your website isn’t responsive to different devices, or, worse still, doesn’t load at all on mobile (we’re looking at you, Flash websites), it’s time for an upgrade.
2. It loads at a snail’s pace.
Slow site speed isn’t just an annoyance for the user; it also has a negative impact on your search engine rankings, which makes it harder for people to find you. Google PageSpeed Insights is a free tool you can use to analyse your site speed and see how you shape up.
RELATED: Quick fix – 5 ways to improve your website speed.
3. Simple changes are difficult to make.
The days of needing advanced coding skills and computer wizardry to make a few updates to your site are finished. Most website builders now give you the option to change and add pages or components via a drag-and-drop editor without needing any coding know-how. If updating your website equals an instant headache, consider investing in a more user-friendly content management system.
4. An outdated design.
If your website looks outdated to even the untrained eye, it’s not doing you any favours in the professional reputation department. Prospective customers are likely to choose the business that leaves the best impression and having a clean, user-friendly site can do wonders for your brand image.
RELATED: 6 best UX practices every business owner should use.
5. Your industry has changed.
Almost every industry sees changes over the years. If a feature like online bookings has become standard for your industry, your website should be updated to incorporate this or you risk being outperformed by competitors.
6. It isn’t secure.
Cybersecurity is front of mind for many people these days, so it’s crucial that your website securely handles sensitive information such as customer data. Investing in an SSL certificate helps protect your website’s users from information theft by encrypting data.
7. It’s not producing any calls or inquiries.
Your website exists for a couple of reasons: to provide useful information to visitors and to help drive new customers to your business. If your current site isn’t yielding any calls or online inquiries, it isn’t doing one of its main jobs, which is a sign it needs to be updated with a focus on driving leads.
8. It doesn’t work with modern plugins.
There are a huge number of plugins out there to help you achieve your website goals (such as form submission plugins to encourage leads). Most of these plugins can easily be added to websites via website builders. If that’s not the case for your website, it’s time for an overhaul.
