It’s safe to say that everything in life needs attention from time to time. It’s very rare to have something (may it be something tangible or something abstract) that you care for once and then you never have to concern yourself with it again.
This goes for your relationships with other people, your diet, your electronics and even your home.
To grow, you always have to revisit and look for ways to upgrade your surroundings.
Your website is no different.
Contrary to what you may believe, a website should be consistently updated and sometimes, duty calls that you have a fresh new website altogether.
If you’re unsure if your website could use an overhaul or not, this blog is for you. We’re going to take a look at some signs that you could use a new site.
Is Your Website Visually Outdated?
Technology is constantly changing and advancing. If your website was built in the nineties and you haven’t changed it, it’s safe to say that it is outdated. Not only is it outdated, but it could be repelling potential customers.
A popular saying is “first impressions matter.” And they do. From a blind date to your website, you want to ensure you give the best first impression possible. Did you know that 87% of people conduct their product research prior to making a purchase? That means that if they arrive at your website and it looks dated, it’s likely they won’t pursue your company.
Also, follow-up question: is your site text-heavy?
Our world is primarily visual these days. If your site contains more words than pictures or video, you need an upgrade.
Is it Difficult to Navigate?
People have a limited attention span (some speculate it’s no more than that of a goldfish, which is around 8-10 seconds). When they’re looking for something specific, they want to find it quickly. Otherwise, they begin to get frustrated and are more likely to leave.
On your site, you should be able to access your main pages easily, such as what your company does, what products or services you offer and how to get in touch if needed. If these pages are hard to find (or are broken), you will want to update your site.
Also, do you find it difficult to navigate? Do you have trouble updating your content or making easy fixes in the back-end of your site? You should be easily able to go into the back-end and make quick fixes and changes. If not, your site probably can’t stack up to the changing needs of your customers and your industry.
Are Your Analytics Less-Than-Ideal?
Apart from the visuals and the navigation, an outdated website affects critical aspects in the analytical side of things. Here are a few important categories that can be impacted:
Low search-engine rankings: back in the day, it was common practice to keyword-stuff commonly searched terms into your content in the hopes of better rankings. Google caught on to this and began penalizing sites that do this. Instead, Google prefers content that is relevant to search queries. If your URL structures are broken or don’t relate to what your content is about, you won’t rank well.
Low-conversions, high bounce rates: If a lot of people are coming to your site, but aren’t taking any actions once they get there, that could be indicative that you need a new site. If your site is outdated and the user experience isn’t great, you could be missing out on customers.
Slow load speed: As mentioned, people have a short attention span. If they visit your site and the pages aren’t loading, how long do you think they’ll stay? Slow websites kill conversions and the customer experience. If it takes a long time to get to a page, you will want to have a site redesign.
So, there you have it! If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, you could use a new site.
Netgain SEO has been offering web marketing services for over a decade. If you’re looking for a new site or for any of our other services, give us a call at 1.888.797.2455 or send us a message online to work with us today!