So you got your website designed a few years ago, and since then your company has undergone several changes. The changes might vary from different team members managing the website to new internal departments and external partnerships, or even a new vision and mission for your company.
In today’s digital age, websites play an integral role in representing your brand as part of your marketing strategy. It’s what most people will see before they engage with your brand and the services you offer. This is why you should keep your website as up-to-date as possible, and ensure that it gives off the feeling you want to convey as a company (ex. professional and trustworthy vs. casual and fun). Providing content that is up-to-date and adjusting your digital image are important steps to keeping your website relevant.
Here are some key factors that will help you determine if you need a new website:
1. Your website is not responsive
- This is probably the easiest way to tell if you need a new website. If your website doesn’t size nicely between phones, tablets, laptops and large desktop computers, this is a tell-tale sign you need a new website. Try accessing your site on your phone and see if you can navigate around easily or if any information disappears between mobile and desktop. It is no longer conventional to have a different mobile and desktop website experience, so streamlining it across platforms will leave you with satisfied users who were able to access all of your information!
2. You can’t update the content yourself
There are several reasons you might not be able to update the content:
- Flash: If you have a really old website, it might have been created using a series of flat images rather than with content within the page. It is way past time for a new website if you are still using flash as browsers have announced they will stop supporting it in the near future.
- Static HTML: This type of website doesn’t have a backend, content editor, or any form of login/admin area. It is composed of several folders full of files and requires your developer to update the files and re-upload them to the server each time you want a change. With open source, free services like WordPress available, there is no longer a reason to have a static website that takes a more advanced skillset to edit.
- The backend is confusing and/or doesn’t work properly: This might be a reason to reach out to the original website developer for some training, especially if you can’t find your answers on Google. If you’ve already gotten training or can’t seem to get changes to work anymore, it is probably time to make a switch.
3. It loads really slowly
- If you try accessing your website and it loads extremely slowly, only partially loads, or freezes when you try to navigate around, it is time for a new website. If your site user and potential customer have to keep pressing refresh and checking their network connection, there’s a chance they’ll get frustrated and take their business somewhere else.
4. High bounce rate
- The bounce rate on your website or certain pages of your website should be low – meaning your site users access your website and stay there for extended periods of time. If it gets really high, it basically means people access your site, don’t think it’s what they’re looking for, and instantly leave. The reasons for having a high bounce rate are the same reasons you need a new website – inaccurate content, outdated appearance, or slow loading time.
5. Outdated appearance and content
- The content on your website was last updated a year ago. Users who see your website may not deem your content as relevant if it hasn’t been updated in several months or years. Your team has also changed, but you haven’t updated any photos, bios or contact information to reflect the change. This is a good indicator that you may need to audit your website, and eventually build a new one.
- If you are offering certain services but the keywords for these services are not reflected in your content, your website will rank low in Google searches. This means that you may be missing a large chunk of your target audience when they perform searches. Google Analytics is a great tool to examine your website’s performance and can also help you adjust your content based on the results.
- Your current website contains too much content that is hard to read and interpret. Too much text can get overwhelming for users, therefore resulting in high bounce rates. It may be time for a new website if your pages are overloaded with text.
6. You rebranded
- You’ve changed your branding and now your website does not match the rest of your collateral. If your old logos, watermarks, and colours are still being used, this may confuse customers if they’ve seen your new branding and then come across your outdated website with old branding. Providing your customers with a seamless experience, and not making them feel like they’ve gone to the wrong place (bounce rate!) can seriously impact your business.
7. You just don’t like your current one!
- If you don’t think that your current site looks good, then there’s a good chance your customers feel the same way. It could be as simple as feeling indifferent about the current layout and not satisfied or dissatisfied with the visuals, or as extreme as liking your competitor’s site more. Although your website might be “good enough”, having a “good”, “great” or “amazing” website will help you capture a larger portion of your market share, and land you more business!
Having a website that is responsive, relevant, visually appealing and updated with the latest technologies is important in showcasing your brand to your target audience. If you have nodded “yes” to one or each of the areas we have listed above, give us a shout and we can work with you to fix it!
