Has your once beautiful and optimized website stopped converting leads and is no longer getting the viewers and attention it used to? Businesses often are focused on their business and may make website updates here and there, but it is common for them to overlook their website and not give it the care and attention that it needs. A website that is current and updated is not just good for the actual website; refreshed websites are more likely to be found and indexed by search engines, making your website more likely to be found by potential customers. There are signs that it is time to refresh your website and we are going to review some indicators to help keep your website and business on track.
Signs that it is Time to Refresh your Website
A quality website is orderly, well-organized, easy to navigate, clear/concise, current in style and layout, functional and fast performing, branded, and motivates the visitor to do business with you. 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.
Is your website up to par? Here are some signs that it is time to refresh your website.
- Time Frame from your Last Update: For search engines to find your website and index it, you need to update your content often. While blogs help SEO and will keep your website “fresh” in search engines’ eyes, you also should have new and updated information on your actual website.
- Outdated Information: You should do a thorough review of your website at least every six months to ensure that your information is correct. If you have made changes to your business throughout that time period, make sure that it is reflected in your website. Businesses are often rolling with the punches and may forget to adjust their website to reflect those changes.
- Mobile Optimization: Is your website optimized for mobile? If not, it is time to refresh your website. Mobile accounts for nearly 2 of every 3 minutes spent online. Having a website that is optimized for desktop use is no longer enough; with more and more people viewing your website, at least for the first time, via a mobile device, you need to ensure that your website is functional for them from their phones.
- Certain Pages have Lost Viewer Interest: Review the analytics around your website to better understand what pages are losing your audience’s interest and being viewed less and less or have high bounce rates. These are signs that that page needs to be updated. It may have outdated text or spelling and grammar errors, may contain too much text, etc. Whatever it is, it needs refreshed.
- Image Load Speed: Over 40% of people will stop engaging with a website if the images will not load or take a long time. Ensure you are using images that open quickly and reflect the information you are presenting. If you are using old images, that too can turn visitors away, so keep your images new and current, as much as possible.
- Broken Links: Like you should update your website content often, so should other websites. If you are using external links, test them every six months or so to make sure they still work. You should also test internal links because things can happen to make them break as well. You don’t want to send someone to a broken link as that can frustrate them and you could lose their interest all together.
- Industry SEO Updates: While you can control some things, there are others you can’t, like search engine updates to their SEO algorithm. This happens more than you may realize, and it’s important to ensure that your website complies with the updated recommendations. If you don’t stay up with the changes, you could lose your place in the rankings.
With Water Bear Marketing WebsiteDesign, we strive to make you stand out. We build websites that are optimized for advertising, lead generation, and sales. We build all websites customized to our clients’ needs. Water Bear Marketing is an expert at developing new websites or bringing old websites up to the latest industry standards. If you are seeing signs that it is time to refresh your website, we can help.
At Water Bear Marketing, we believe that in today’s world, there is no room for guessing with your advertising dollars. Request a free consultation today to learn more about how we will help design and maintain your website.