If only our websites had expiry dates like food it would be so much easier to know when to throw out the old and start afresh. There are a number of things that can get stale about a website – and numerous reasons why every organisation should consider revamping their site at least every three years.
What does a stale website say about your business?
Keeping your website up-to-date is as important as having a website in the first place. Would you choose a vendor with an eye-catching website design, and engaging, up-to-date information and content, or a site that clearly hasn’t been touched since 2012?
5 Reasons to Consider a Website Makeover
Of the many reasons why you should reassess your website from time-to-time, here are a five that are most note-worthy:
1. Keep up with the available technology
Websites now allow you to integrate things like blogs, polls, online shops, streaming videos, social media feeds and even phone numbers that change based on where the user is located to make it seem like your business is based locally. The list of technologies that can be integrated into a website is ever-growing, and reviewing your website is the first step towards harnessing these technologies. Another critical consideration is whether your website is mobile friendly.
2. Keep your design fresh
Most viewers can immediately distinguish between a photograph that was taken in the 90s versus a striking sharp image taken recently. To keep your design fresh, you need to update images on your site as well as colours and design elements because they too go in and out of fashion.
3. Ensure your website is compatible with various browsers
Browsers such as Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox get updated regularly. If you are not diligent, aspects of your website can stop appearing the way they did originally, as changes are made to browser technology. To ensure that your website loads properly across multiple web browsers and on mobile, it is essential to reassess your website once in a while.
4. Integrate keywords to continually drive traffic to your site
What’s the point of having a website if no one can find it? Building a site may be the first step, but knowing how to set it up so people can actually find it is a skill in itself. Keyword integration and search engine optimisation are ways in which you can help your website get found by prospective customers and experts can help you through this process.
5. Align the website with the growth of the business
Last, but definitely not least, a website must be a reflection of the business in its current state. Has the economy required you to change the way you run your business? Could you be selling your products online, but don’t have an online shop? Keeping your website aligned with the growth of your business is as important as keeping your accounts in order.
