Why you should update your website?

Is there a quiet, but persistent, little voice in your head that says, ‘we must update our website – one of these days…’? Don’t be shy – you should know you are not alone. In fact, updating the website must be one of the most common jobs that are put on the back burner in the day-to-day running of a company, and yet it is one of the easiest ways to increase engagement, and potential sales, with your prospective customers.

Why should I?

There are several issues with older websites, not least that they may not be optimised for mobile devices. We have all experienced the frustration of trying to use an antiquated website, squinting at fonts that are too small or text that runs off the screen. A new website that is optimised for mobile – features responsive design – offers a smooth and engaging user experience, giving easy access for mobile users searching for information on your site and significantly reducing your bounce rate.

Old websites also run the risk of having content optimised for out-of-date SEO. Google is constantly changing parameters in how it ranks websites. However, if your website is based on ancient SEO parameters, it may well have been populated with keywords in a practice known as ‘keyword stuffing’.  This aimed to make sites appear higher in the search engine. Nowadays, it is actively penalised by Google, so far from helping your website appear when a potential customer searches for your product or service online, it will be sent further down the rankings. One of the main purposes of a website is to attract engagement from potential customers – if it’s languishing in the depths of an online search, this is unlikely to happen.

Security is also an issue with older websites. Not only does your website need to be secure, migrating the web address from the ‘http’ URL to ‘https’ but older sites are also more at risk of being hacked, with all the headaches that a potential data breach could entail. In these days of GDPR, this is not a risk to be taken lightly.

Your website’s primary aim is to convert views to sales, whatever your product or service. A website is your shop window, and you want it to appear attractive and to entice people in further. It should be your final pitch, and great design with efficient functionality can help convert interest into a sale.

Now is the time to take action and move from ‘one day’ to TODAY!

Investing in your website now can reap benefits down the line. We would be delighted to carry out a free audit of your website and see where improvements can be made. What are you waiting for?