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When It’s Time To Revamp Your Website

First impressions matter. You wouldn’t walk into an important meeting or consultation wearing an outfit that’s old and worn out would you? What would you think if a vendor or partner came to your office wearing an old, or worn out suit to a meeting with you? Would you hand a potential client brochures or other materials that were out of date and didn’t accurately reflect your company as it is today? Would you do business with a company that handed you old and outdated information?

What impression are you making with your website?  Does your website match what you want your customers or potential customers to see, feel, or know about your company?

Are you the same business you were 5 years ago or even a year ago? Do you have new services or products, grown in size or can handle larger more complex jobs? Companies can and do change every year, or even within a span of a few months. Does your company’s website reflect that, or is it still telling your customers what you were doing 5 years ago?

Despite the obvious revenue-related benefits to having a website, only 53 percent of small businesses actually have a website. The fact is a website is not an option for small businesses today: it is a necessity. It is known in the digital age that you must have a website that complements your marketing efforts or at least makes it easy to find your phone number, address or email. While some businesses may continue to thrive and be successful without a website, think of all the missed opportunities that your competitor may be cashing in on due to their website that can easily be found through a quick Google (or Bing! if you prefer) search.

If your website is old or hasn’t been updated in years, your customers may see your business as outdated. You want your customers to see your experience and ability to stay current in your industry or market. Your website should be the leading way you communicate with your customer. Dollar for dollar an updated, current, search engine optimized website is one of the best ways to utilize your marketing budget.

A website redesign can be a big project and many consider putting it off due to the money and time it takes., however, revamping or redesigning your website can be a wise investment as it is your primary online marketing tool. Keeping your website fresh and up-to-date will keep your customers coming back for more.

Make it Mobile Friendly

Mobile web usage is growing by leaps and bounds so it is essential that your website can be used on a wide variety of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. In fact, “nearly half of consumers say they won’t return to a website if it doesn’t load properly on their mobile devices.” By incorporating responsive design into your new website, you’ll be assured of reaching a larger audience than you would with a website that’s not mobile-friendly.

48% of mobile visitors who visit a site that is not mobile-friendly felt that the company didn’t care about their business.

Consumers have different needs when accessing information and services on their mobile devices and are often in a different mindset. Mobile users expect to get what they want very quickly and with little effort as well as wanting to have “mobile intelligent” features. Some of these features include tapping on phone numbers to call and being able to click on addresses. Therefore, it is important that your website is optimized for mobile devices to ensure the best user experience.

With approximately 30 percent of website visits coming from mobile devices, if you are simply delivering your users to the desktop version of your website you will be losing business due to accessibility frustrations.

Improve Usability

Visitors come to a website to find out information about products, services, business hours and contact information. This information needs to be readily available for visitors to find quickly and easily. If they can’t find the information they desire on your site, it is common that they try a competitor’s website instead. Therefore, it is always recommended to keep your content concise (roughly 300 words per page) and easy to skim through.

Your Website Design Looks Old and Outdated

Sometimes we need change. If you think your website is starting to look a little tired, chances are your site visitors think so too. A fresh design and fresh content may be what you need to drum up more excitement about your website.

Also, first impressions count. Plenty of research shows that you only have a few seconds to get the user’s attention and to convey enough value to engage them. The quality of the website design is a direct reflection on your business image so it is important that your website looks professional, fresh and contemporary.

You Aren’t Getting Results

No matter how much you like your website, you would find it a more valuable tool if you achieved the results you wanted. Achieving results is directly correlated on how you attract, engage, convert, measure and optimize your website towards your business goals.

Before committing to a redesign, you need to define exactly what you want your website to accomplish. You had an experience with your current website, so now spend time reassessing and using your best judgement along with new technology to capitalize on online opportunities. Once you know what you need your website to do, you can investigate how to build a more functional and effective website.

It Isn’t Getting Traffic

You need to revisit your SEO strategy if the website is not getting enough visitors. Effective keyword marketing and optimization can make a low visited site much more popular.

No Content Management System

Here’s your homework: go to your website, look at it objectively, and compare it to your competitors’ sites. Ask others around you, colleagues, friends and even family, to do the same and keep these questions in mind:

  1. What’s their first impression? Is it good? Is it bad?
  2. Is your site current? Is there any old and outdated content on the site? Check the copyright date in the footer, is it the current year?
  3. Is your current marketing on the site? Is your marketing message the still the same?
  4. How does your site look on your smartphone? How about your tablet? Does anything look broken? Is the text legible? Is the navigation usable?
  5. Is there something your competitors are doing with their site that you would like to try?
  6. Does your website reflect your position in your industry?

If your answers to these questions are not as positive as you hope or if you feel there are a few things you might want updated, be sure to reach out to us. Our team can help you evaluate your current site and give you recommendations in all these areas to help you make the best first impression possible to your potential consumers.

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