All right you admit it. Your company’s website is a bit outdated. The kids in your pictures are married with children. Plus, the look of your site is clearly retro (and not in a good way), and users leave the site almost immediately because of the lack of functionality.
You need a new website. Bad.
If your pictures aren’t outdated, you think your business is in the clear, don’t you? However, with studies showing that people now spend more time online than watching TV, your business’ digital presence is more crucial than ever. While having an updated website used to be a luxury, now it’s more important than ever to watch for the signs of an aging website—and for good reasons:
- Mobile users are on your site, but can they use it? With statistics putting American ownership of smartphones between one-half and two-thirds of the population, you need to be a fortune teller and look ahead. This upward trend of smartphone usage is not going to going away, and chances are it won’t decrease. You need a mobile user friendly-website.
- You’re not listed on the first page of any search engine, or even in the top 100. Even if you can’t sell your product online, more than 90% of people start their search for a product or service using search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. Having an attractive and functional website with search engine optimization technology not only allows customers to find and contact your business, but also brings them in the door. (If you don’t know how important search engine optimization is for your business, find out in our recent blog post.)
- You need a blog. Today customers want to get to know your company through a blog, not advertising, statistics show. Show that your business is customercentric: give them the resources they need, when they need it. Each blog post also becomes an indexed page, which gives your site a better chance of higher rankings on top search engines.
- Even if your users find you, they can’t do anything. Today’s customers receive the latest information quickly, and expect the same of your business. Make sure they can contact you, ask for a quote and send you questions with clear calls to action throughout your website. Since you’ve given them that instant gratification, remembers it works both ways—you need to respond, and respond quickly.
- Your website does not represent your current products or services any more. Don’t brush off outdated information. Potential customers won’t call you, or do their research on your site if they know it’s outdated.
If your website is showing these signs of age, get rid of your business’ digital grey hairs. Update the look and feel for superior aesthetics, and add the functional aspects that keep customers on your site—and coming to you time and time again.
