Having a website is a must for businesses in today’s technology driven world. It’s the first thing potential customers look for when they are researching companies and as such it’s often the first impression your business makes. But beyond just having a website it is imperative that you keep it up to date.
Many businesses have a website built and then forget about it, often for years. As one of the most important tools in your marketing plan, it’s important that you continually update and improve your website to reflect changes in your business, the world and as new technologies become available.
Business owners often neglect their website as they aren’t clear on the value they would get from an upgrade but refreshing your website could lead to more website visitors, increased leads and more sales.
So, is it time to upgrade your website? Let’s take a look at some of the main reasons to update your website.
Make a better first impression
Your website acts as your shop window and is the first impression you make on potential customers, when your website looks professional, is easy to navigate, mobile friendly and informative, potential customers will leave with a good impression of your business.
Review your website as if you are a potential customer and note the areas that are good and the ones that require improvement, also consider the user experience on both desktop and mobile.
Position yourself as an authority
When potential customers visit your website, they are looking for information about your business and what it offers. They are looking for answers to solve their problems, so make sure your content is well-written, concise and informative.
When writing your content, think about your potential customers’ pain points, what led them to search for your business and what challenges could they be facing. Address these in your content to position yourself as an authority in your industry.
Improve visibility in the search engines
Search engines, such as Google and Bing love content, in fact they deem websites with the newest content as the most valuable and display them higher in the search results. For example, if your website content was published five years ago, the web index crawlers will no longer view it as being relevant and will not push it to people when they search for things related to what you do.
Another key point for ranking well in the search engines, is Search Engine Optimisation or SEO. Making sure your content and website is SEO friendly will help your website become more visible in the search engines. SEO practices change continually, so it’s vital to make sure your website keeps up to date with the latest best practices.
Mobile first optimisation
The increased usage of smartphones over the last five years has significantly changed website development. With more and more search traffic coming from mobiles rather than PC’s it’s crucial that your website is mobile friendly.
It is common practice today that websites are developed for mobile first to ensure a good user experience when potential customers visit your website on a mobile device. Your website should be responsive and easy to navigate when viewed on a mobile device and should reflect the same user experience as if it were being viewed on a PC.
Failing to optimise your website for mobile could mean your business misses out on potential visitors using your website or converting to customers.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss upgrading your website please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.