Three signs your website is outdated
Your website is essential for your business by generating leads, attracting customers and business partners, achieving high rankings on Google, and creating brand awareness. It’s vital that you keep it up-to-date, not only the information it supplies, but it’s design and function too.
Outdated websites can look out of place, and may not be functional on some browsers or mobile devices, and clunky menus, cluttered layouts, broken links, and outdated copy will only drive potential customers to your competition.
Let’s have a look at the warning signs that your website needs updating.
1. OUTDATED DESIGN
To check if your website needs updating, you should first consider the niche that your business or website occupies, and the intended audience who you are wanting to attract.
Compile a list of the most successful or popular websites for your niche and audience, and take note of the web design techniques, the fonts used, the tone of the copy, the colour schemes, and the way the website is laid out.
This may all differ depending on your particular sector, your country and language, and the services or products you offer, as each may employ different standards and styles. For example, a plumber’s website will have a different approach and style to a plumbing supplies website. They may be in the same sector, but offer different services for different audiences.
Next, compare the information you have gathered to the design elements of your website, and you can objectively see if it looks out of date, or holds its head high with your competition. This is a rather generalised way of finding out, but it can provide you with a benchmark to fairly accurately address your website design and the information it presents.
2. OUTDATED AND INCORRECT CONTENT
The primary purpose of your website is for your marketing and advertising, and it needs to present information about your products or services to your website visitors, potential and existing clients and customers.
If the information you are sharing is outdated and incorrect, it will inevitably lead to losing potential customers, revenue, and having to explain to frustrated customers why you cannot provide the advertised services.
Also, be aware that search engines will demote websites in their rankings that have not been updated in a long time, so it’s important to ensure your regularly update it and audit the information it presents to ensure you retain your search engine rankings.
3. NOT DISPLAYING CORRECTLY ON MOBILE OR THE NEWEST BROWSERS
Our modern technology changes and evolves faster than ever. Many people, especially Millennials, use their mobile phones for the majority of web searches and browsing, so it’s important that your website displays clearly and is formatted for mobile browsers.
If your website doesn’t evolve and change with technology, it will begin to display your site incorrectly, which is a clear sign your website is out of date and needs an overhaul, as well as the risk of losing potential customers and revenue.
If you need expert website design in Bedford, get in touch!
