If you’ve had your website looking the same for more than 2 or 3 years then it may be time to consider a website refresh of your look and content.
Google loves websites that are frequently updated with new and useful content. If you have a blog site within your website and you use it regularly, at least once a month, to add new content then your site is likely to rank more highly than a competitor’s site that doesn’t have a blog.
Fresh, useful content is always a great way to bring more traffic to your site.
And when they arrive?
Once they are there, are they getting the latest information about your business?
I don’t know of any business on the planet that hasn’t had to pivot or tweak to some degree in response to world events in the last 3 years. Heck – even without a global pandemic it would be hard to find a business that is doing business the same way it was 3 years ago.
Social media platforms like Be Real and Supernova weren’t even around in 2019 and TikTok is gaining traction in the 30-49 year old age bracket so if they are your target audience it is worth considering …
The way we consume online content is changing as we consume more and more and spend more time on our devices than ever before.
Everything has changed
So it stands to reason that the way people find and interact with your website has changed too.
Consider too that your target audience’s needs may have changed in the last 3 years or so and they may well be looking for different solutions to the same problems or solutions to different problems.
Websites are a living advertisement for your brand, your products and your services. Keeping it fresh enhances the experience users have of your business.
A little or a lot
Adding a new FAQ or a new blog, refreshing the information contained on old pages and posts can help not only your existing customers, but can help bring new visitors, through an improved search engine experience, to your site.
And you don’t really want your digital shop front looking tired and last decade.
Consider reviewing your website in light of what is included in your strategic plan, and with regard to which parts of that strategic plan have been achieved. Making mention on your comment that your business is working towards …. When you already do …. Makes your site look instantly out of date and may mean you miss opportunities to connect with potential customers.
8 ways to improve your website
Here’s a few things you can physically check on your website to see if it’s time:
- Check the copyright statement in the footer – is it showing the current year or a year gone by? It should automatically update as the calendars turns over but if it doesn’t then it’s a sure-fire way to make your site look out of date.
- Check that your site is mobile responsive. If you have to scroll left and right on your phone to even read the content of your website than that is not a great user experience and it may be time to consider a more mobile friendly design.
- If your site has a back ground colour down each side of the main page then it is definitely time for a refresh – that design style went by the way around 10 years ago and web pages are much more streamlined, open and uncluttered – in part to enable them to be user friendly on smaller devices such as phones and tablets.
• Your contact information, office hours, address or email details are incorrect then it definitely time for at least a mini-update. This goes for your Google Business Profile too. Keeping those two up to date are critical to helping people find you. - Your images show staff who have long since left the building or products which you no longer produce
- Your list of services is out of date, or includes offerings that are no longer viable for you to provide.
- You’ve updated your logo, your business card, your social media profiles but have the old logo on your website – make sure you check every page and the footer too.
- The style is just plain out of date or not in tune for your target audience – perhaps the demographic of your audience has changed or your key products and services have changed.
Food for thought
Whether you website is 2 months old or more than 5 years old, it is worth considering an update to the content, the look and design of the site, or the flow of the customer journey.
A website redesign shouldn’t be done in isolation though – a comprehensive site audit or a a good review of your Digital Marketing Strategy should be undertaken and this will guide your decisions about how to change up your website.
And it doesn’t all have to be done at once.
P.S.
Found a spelling or grammatical error in this post? Then contact me as soon as possible and let me know. In return for your super proof reading, I will offer you a free 30-minute review of your digital presence and some fresh ideas you can try out for free.