It’s a new year. The new calendar creates a fresh start for a lot of people both personally and in their businesses. In 2020 we spent more time online than any year before! If your business doesn’t have an up-to-date and attractive website, it could really be hurting you. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself to see if you should update your website in 2021.
When was the last time you updated your website?
As a general rule of thumb, they say you should update your website every 3 years. This might seem frequent, but technology is changing fast these days and your website can look and feel outdated fast.
Pull it up on a cell phone…How does it look?
Over 50% of all website traffic globally is accessed on a mobile device. That percentage is even higher if you’re in the B to C space. If your site isn’t mobile responsive and doesn’t scale correctly, that can be a huge deterrent for customers. Also, if you haven’t optimized for mobile first indexing that can hurt your SEO.
How long does it take to load?
Your website should take less than 2 seconds to load. That might seem quick, but 40% of people abandon a site that takes more than 3 seconds. Site speed is also a contributing factor to your SEO.
Is it functional? If a stranger was coming to your site could they easily find the important info?
This can be hard to judge when it is your own site. To get a better idea, go to a new site you have never been to before and notice how much of it you actually read. Chances are, not a lot of it. People are lazy and want to have the information they are looking for spoon fed to them without a lot of other stuff to sort through.
Does it look good?
The look of your website is also subjective. Your site doesn’t have to be stunning but, if you have outdated colorful backgrounds, loud or blurry images and bright text that is hard to read, you might want to consider a change.
How many clicks does it take to get to the most important information?
What page do you want a new customer to end up on? Contact us? About Us? Our Products? If that page is more than one-click from the homepage, you may want to reconsider the structure of your website.
Does your site have images and videos? Are they good quality?
People are extremely visual. This goes back to the fact that people don’t like to read. If your website doesn’t have any pictures you should consider adding them. Not only will it make your site look more modern, but it will also help the customer understand more about you without having to read. If you want to take it a step further, consider adding video. 59% of executives say they would rather watch a video than read text. Finally, make sure the images you add are good quality! Nothing can make a site look more dated than a blurry header image.
How long do people stay on your website?
Pull up your Google Analytics. A high bounce rate could indicate that your site needs some work. There are a multitude of reason people could be leaving your site too soon but all of them can be fixed with a site refresh.
Is it easy to add new content?
Actively updating and adding new content to your website is so important for SEO. In 2020, we also learned how crucial it is to easily add updates to your website to let your customers know you are open and ready to serve them. If you are unable to easily make changes to your website, it is probably time for a new one.
Has your branding changed?
Maybe your site isn’t ugly or slow, but you have evolved your branding and the site just doesn’t match anymore! That’s ok, but you don’t want customers to be confused when they see your brand look one way on social media and completely different on your website. An easy redesign can do the trick and make sure everything feels cohesive.
How Can Sierra Help?
Glad you asked! In addition to designing and developing a custom website for your organization, we can also host it at our own data centers. We’ll monitor the site for you, and we can provide ongoing maintenance as well. We manage your website, so you can focus on your business operations. Give us a call or send us an email to get your free website evaluation.
