Did you know that a majority of shoppers are going to turn to your website and do a bit of research before they purchase your products or services? That means that your website is now responsible for your first impression the majority of the time. Will your website make a good first impression? Unfortunately, a lot of business owners don’t realize when their website is becoming outdated–or that having an outdated website could be so detrimental to their overall performance and sales.
As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate already. Trying to learn everything there is to know about web design and function is a tall order–and that’s where I come in.
Read on to learn the top five signs that you have an outdated website and what you can do about it.
1. Your Website Isn’t Optimized for Mobile Devices
Now that we can access the web on our phones, we do a lot of our web surfing on our mobile devices, rather than a computer or tablet. In fact, Americans spend an average of about 6 hours online every day, and an average of over two of those hours are enabled by a mobile device.
When you build a website, it is not automatically optimized for mobile devices. Mobile devices not only have a different shape (which changes the overall appearance of your website) but they also have different functionalities that users rely on. Because most businesses do take the time to make sure their website is optimized for mobile devices, consumers tend to navigate away from those that aren’t.
2. Your Website Is Flash-Based
There was a time when tons of websites were Flash-based and it was one of the leading web building technologies. The problem is that now, Flash is outdated–to the extent that Flash-based websites are probably not showing up for a lot of internet users.
Flash-based websites are no longer compatible with any iOS devices, which includes all iPhones (which make up a huge percentage of the smartphone market). Because Flash is quickly becoming obsolete, it is also starting to get the boot by Google. If your website is Flash-based, Google will stop recommending it to users.
3. Your Search Engine Rankings Are Declining
Staying on top of search engine algorithms isn’t always easy. As I just mentioned, they might start sifting out your website because of something like Flash. They can also give you a lower ranking because your content isn’t search engine optimized, your website is susceptible to viruses–the list goes on and on.
At the end of the day, you don’t want to lose a high search engine ranking. Organic searches account for a good portion of any website’s traffic, which means that you want people to find your website through Google, Yahoo, and other major search engines. At the end of the day, if your website isn’t ranked high enough to show up on that first page of search results, you’re not going to see a lot of traffic, since up to 92% of search traffic clicks come from the first page.
4. You Have Decent Traffic But Low Conversions
If you spend much time on your website’s backend, you’ve probably noticed what kinds of traffic you’re getting. This is a good thing to stay on top of because you can see what kinds of content works, what kinds of email or social media promotions are driving traffic, and so on. You can also see if all of that traffic to your website is actually materializing into sales.
Remember that first statistic I gave you about how many consumers are going to your website to build a first impression? If you notice that people aren’t hopping around your website for very long or, more importantly, buying a product or service before leaving, that probably means that they’re not quite happy with what they’re seeing.
5. Your Website Doesn’t Have a Strong Aesthetic
Honesty time. Take a look at your website and then pull up a few of the websites run by your competition. How do they compare?
If your website doesn’t have the most appealing look, it may be time for a makeover. You don’t have to go overboard and create the most show-stopping website on the internet. You do, however, want to make sure that your website looks sleek, professional, well-branded, and appropriate for your niche.
What To Do If You Have an Outdated Website
So let’s say that you’re reading through this list of signs that you have an outdated website and at least one of them fits the bill. What can you do about it? Do you need to learn web design overnight?
The good news is that there are plenty of people who already know what it takes to build a good website and I happen to be one of them! Take a look at my digital consulting services to get a feel for what I can do for your business. Together, we’ll discuss everything from design to SEO to all of the ways that you can encourage growth for your business in the digital age.
Let’s Get In Touch
Having an outdated website may not seem like a problem when you have so much else on your plate. The problem is that consumers are quick to form an impression and your website is often their first introduction to what your business has to offer. Strong web design is an integral part of any thriving business, no matter how big or small.
Not quite sure where to start with your web design update? Contact me today and let’s start talking about what we can do to make your website as strong as the rest of your business.