When Should You Update Your Website & Why It's Important
Your website plays a major role in your business growth.
But when you're already busy tending to the ins and outs of running your company, it’s understandable if taking on your own site updates and improvements doesn't quite make it to the top of your to-do list.
That said, your website is often the first point of contact between your business and potential customers. It’s essential that you make a good first impression by providing a seamless user experience and positioning your business as the expert in your field.
75% of people will judge a business based on the quality of its website. So if yours isn’t up to scratch, you’re instantly cutting yourself off from tons of potential customers.
Think of your website as the online storefront for your small business. Just like a physical store, it needs regular maintenance and updates to keep things running smoothly, stay relevant, and attract customers.
When Should You Update Your Website?
You’re a small business owner, not a professional web developer. So, how are you supposed to know when it’s time for a website update?
We’ve made things simple for you by outlining 4 key signs your website needs a little refresh – or maybe even a total overhaul!
1. Outdated Design And Content
The first thing most visitors will notice about your website is its design.
When was the last time you updated your web design? Does it look a little more like something from the days of dial-up rather than the cutting-edge, slick layouts found in the highest-performing websites today?
Outdated design can make your business seem less trustworthy and relevant.
Especially now, when most people use their phones or tablets to research online, your website needs a responsive design, compatible with mobile devices.
73% of web designers believe responsive design is the main reason users abandon a website, so don’t cut yourself off from the majority of your audience online simply because your design can’t be viewed on their device.
As well as keeping your website’s design and interface super slick and modern, it’s essential that your content is relevant to your business and is easy to digest.
From web copy to images, make sure you only use high-quality content to legitimize your business and earn the trust of your target audience.
2. Slow-Loading Web Pages And Errors
Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for a page to load.
Now that we’re used to accessing information online at lightning speed, slow-loading websites will frustrate your visitors, causing them to leave your website before they even get a chance to look at it.
Broken links, 404 errors, and other technical glitches make for a poor user experience. Not only this, but it can have seriously negative impacts on your search engine rankings (that is, how high your website appears on search engine results pages).
If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, it's time to optimize it – because people simply aren’t going to wait.
3. Poor User Experience
User experience is everything when it comes to the success of your website, and if it wasn’t considered in the creation of your website, then now might be the time to give it an overhaul.
Visitors shouldn’t have a hard time navigating your website, finding information, or making purchases. All these issues stand in the way of completing your desired action and converting them into sales – which is the primary reason you built the site in the first place, right?
And again, it’s super important to factor in mobile responsiveness, as 55% of all online searches are now done on a mobile device.
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and can be adapted to fit any screen size so people can have a positive experience of your business online, no matter what device they’re using.
4. Ranking Poorly On Search Engines
When it comes to discovering your small business online, your website needs to perform well in search engine results so you can grow your customer base and achieve your business goals.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website more friendly to search engines by improving the quality of your content and how your website is designed.
By using the same keywords your target audience types into a search engine when looking for your products and services online, SEO helps place you at the top of their search results. This improves your online visibility – and when your audience can find you when they need you, you’d be surprised how much it can increase website traffic.
Keeping local SEO up to date means your website is more likely to appear higher on search engine results pages. This way, people won’t have to scroll as far to find your website, making it easier to find you and enhancing brand perception, too.
Why Is Updating Your Website So Important?
1. Enhances User Experience
A well-designed and maintained website leads to a smoother, more intuitive experience for visitors, resulting in longer page visits, increased engagement, and higher conversion rates.
The success of your small business relies on your customers being able to access information about your offerings and make purchases without any hiccups. So, there’s no room for giving your website visitors an excuse to abandon your website due a poor user experience.
2. Improves Search Engine Optimization
Search engines like Google prioritize fresh, targeted content and websites that provide an excellent user experience.
Keeping your website running smoothly and up-to-date with relevant keywords will improve your search engine rankings, and your ideal clients will easily find your small business online.
3. Increases Cyber Security
With online scamming and phishing at an all-time high, it's never been more important to factor in your website’s security.
Outdated software is more vulnerable to hacking and cyberattacks. By keeping your website's software and plugins updated, you’re protecting it against avoidable security threats and cyber attacks that could be detrimental to the survival of your small business.
4. Promotes Brand Recognition And Trust
A high-functioning website that looks impressive and is easy to navigate tells your visitors just how seriously you take your business and offers a positive insight into the quality of your products or services.
Maintaining a high-quality, updated website gives your small business a competitive edge , positioning you as a professional and making you stand out from the crowd, too.
5. Easier Management
Staying on top of website updates makes managing and further developing your website easier in the long run.
As your business grows, new content management systems and tools make it easier for you to add, edit, and manage content on your site to ensure it’s always relevant, represents the current state of your business, and is optimized for SEO.
Time To Update Your Website? Let 406 Marketing & Design Take Care of It For you
Working with professional web designers and developers removes the hassle of maintaining a cutting-edge website, allowing you to reap the benefits of organic traffic, brand visibility, and customer trust.
If you'd like to discuss an in-depth strategy for achieving sophisticated website usability and design across the board, our digital marketing experts would love to help.
At 406 Marketing, we have years of experience helping small businesses expand their reach online through website optimization, website edits, monthly analytics, updates, SEO, and more.
Get in touch today, and let’s get the conversation started!