How to Tell If Your Website Needs an Update

11
Aug 2020

How to Tell If Your Website Needs an UpdateYour website is one of the first impressions your customers have of your business. Particularly now when more interactions than ever before have been forced into the virtual realm, your website should not only accurately reflect your business, but its design should be compelling and help contribute to your overall marketing strategy. If your website isn’t accomplishing the goals that you need it to, it might be time for a web design update. Evaluating the design of your website doesn’t come down to whether you or someone else thinks it looks good. There are several quantifiable factors that can tell you if your website needs an update.

You’re Not Hitting Your Goals

The most important thing to look for has much more to do with web analytics than it has to do with style. Pinpoint what it is you need people to do when they arrive on your site (hint: it’s not always making a purchase!). Conversions, time on site, bounce rate – all of these are trackable factors in Google Analytics that can give you some insight into what your customers are doing on your website, and what that might mean for your business. Identify what purpose your site serves, and use analytics to read between the lines to see if it’s actually accomplishing that purpose for your customers.

Your Customers are Getting Lost

Are your customers moving through a funnel to discover more helpful and detailed information as they move through your website, or are they getting lost and leaving? Use the Behavior Flow section of Google Analytics to learn how your customers are journeying through your website. If they seem to be clicking through aimlessly or exiting before they’ve found the most important information about you, it might be time for a refresh.

Your Last Update was Years Ago 

Technology moves fast, and if you’re neglecting to keep up with routine web maintenance, you’re probably missing out on new features and optimizations. Routine updates can help your site operate better for your customers and give you more insight into how best to serve them. Regardless, as trends change and technology improves, you can expect to update your website at least every 3-5 years. Wait any longer between updates, and you risk alienating your customers with outdated technology and design.

Your Website Doesn’t Reflect Your Business

Finally, if your website’s messaging doesn’t feel like it’s aligned with your brand anymore, it’s definitely time for an update. An ever-increasing number of interactions begin and are completed online. Branding that doesn’t feel or sound the way you need it to in order to capture the interest of your ideal customer will only hamper your efforts to win over and retain customers in the long run.

Web design isn’t just about having a site that looks “cool.” Well-executed web design works in tandem with your overall marketing strategy to support goal completions and drive customers to take meaningful action. If your site isn’t doing that for you, it’s probably time to figure out why and update it.

 

38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.

Is your website working as hard for you as it should be?

Today’s consumers expect to encounter a polished presence on the internet, and your website needs to be up to the task.

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