This age-old question baffles many entrepreneurs.
Once upon a time, you spent countless hours and probably a decent amount of money creating the perfect website to promote your company. The shiny new website was likely your pride and joy, and you showed it off to anyone who asked or didn’t ask. Like anything new, however, it eventually grows old and, as a result, gets neglected. Think of a new car, a new house, new clothes. The excitement inevitably wears off. The same goes for your small business website.
The problem is that you cannot afford to neglect your website—not if you want that website to get traffic and ultimately convert leads to sales. A website needs nurturing and attention. And a website also needs updating, like our blog page!. How do you know when to update your site? Great question! Below we break down the top four ways you know that it’s probably time to update or even replace your current website.
1. Your website is visually lacking
Websites change. Color palettes evolve. Visual concepts reflect modern trends. A website that is ten years old looks ten years old. For example, think about interior design; you can look at a house from the 1990s and easily recognize how dated it is. This is also true of a website. If your site was created way back in 2007 and hasn’t been touched since users will be able to tell.
The visual appeal is probably just not there any longer. Users are attracted to images, colors, and things that the eye can see, consequently appealing to that eye. Look at your competitors’ websites. Take some cues from them or any websites that seem particularly attractive to you.
2. It’s not optimized for mobile devices
There was a time when the computer was king for website viewing. This is certainly not the case any longer. Most people take to their phones to check out a website at first glance. And if your site is not optimized for mobile devices, this could be catastrophic for you. You have one chance to make a first impression. If your site is glitchy on the phone or is difficult to navigate via mobile device, a user will look elsewhere, guaranteed.
3. SEO is nonexistent
A considerable part of modern website creation is SEO integration. In other words, your website should include relevant SEO practices and strategies that help you get found by the search engines. Plus, it is vital for just about every site that there is an integrated blog for SEO practices. Does your current location have a blog? If not, it is time to update things. If your website hasn’t been updated in a while, then your rankings are probably quite abysmal.
4. It is not responsive or user-friendly
Users want sites that are easy to navigate and that respond promptly. If someone has to wait minutes for a page to appear, an image to load, and a checkout to be completed, they will get frustrated. And frustration inevitably leads to someone looking elsewhere for what they need—to your competitors. Ideally, you can hire an expert in website design to ensure optimal user-friendliness and responsiveness—this may be beyond your skillset if you are not a web developer/designer.
First Union Lending Works with Small Business Owners
If you need money to update your current site, we can help. A website redesign can be quite costly. However, it can also be quite profitable for your business in the long run. We offer fast and flexible loan options. Even if your credit is less than stellar, you may still qualify. Call today!