The internet is an amazing technological achievement, and it can be a significant boon for those who know how to navigate it. But as the internet continues to evolve and change to create new user experiences, many businesses are getting left behind.
At GriffinWink, our website and SEO professionals know how important your online presence is. For many of the businesses we work with, their website is just as important as their broach and mortar shop. In some cases, it’s even more important.
Visiting a company’s website before visiting its physical space is common in today’s digital age. Most consumers and clients want to know more about the company and what they offer without the hassle of making a journey across town and interacting with a living individual. When you add rich, relevant content to your site, that website visitor will likely become a paying customer. Unfortunately, some businesses haven’t quite caught on to that idea or have forgotten to keep their website up to date. It’s not unusual for those businesses to start seeing their customer conversion rates drop.
To ensure that doesn’t happen to you, we’ve compiled a list of telltale signs your website needs a facelift.
YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT MOBILE-FRIENDLY
Mobile technology has allowed us to search for anything at any given time from virtually anywhere. The days of waiting until you get home to your desktop to look up something are far behind us. Today’s consumer behaviors lean towards the impulsive. That means your website needs to be accessible to them immediately and look its best. A slow or poorly optimized mobile experience will increase your site’s bounce rate and decrease conversions.
If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you could miss out on a large portion of your market. Ensuring that you can give your customers a well-tailored experience on the go is crucial in today’s digital marketplace.
YOU HAVE A LOW SEO RANKING
Your business should be easy to find on the web. Typing in what your business does and where it’s located into a search engine should have your business pulling up as one of the top results for that search. If not, it’s time to rethink your website’s content and design.
93% of experiences on the web start by interacting with a search engine. This stat is significant for local businesses trying to stand out from the competition. Your SEO ranking determines how likely web users will be to find and interacting with your site. In the end, this also affects your leads and customer conversion rates.
To find out your ranking, clear your internet cache or open a private/incognito tab. Then, In the address bar, type in what services you offer and your location. If your company doesn’t appear at the top of the search results, your website is too low in the SEO rankings. Creating new, relevant content for your site can help improve your SEO and help your business become more visible on the web.
YOUR WEBSITE LOADS SLOW
Along with impulsivity, today’s consumers desire immediate results. Most web users won’t wait around for a website to load and will leave if a page isn’t fully functional within two seconds of navigating to it. A fast, efficient website is necessary to keep visitors on your site. The longer a visitor sticks around, the more likely they are to purchase something or contact you for services which should be the ultimate goal for your website.
Websites that are heavy with poorly formatted images and videos tend to be slow. While images add unique content to your site and help your SEO ranking, you’ll want to be sure that they are sized correctly for mobile and desktop users. Not doing so will result in slow loading times and users abandoning your site.
If your website is slow, it might be a good idea to have a web professional take a look behind the scenes to determine where your site could use improvement.
YOUR BRAND HAS CHANGED
As a company grows and withstands the test of time, it also evolves. Your website should reflect those changes. Too often, we run into websites for companies whose logs differ from their current ones or whose messaging is no longer the same. As business owners learn to specify their market or find their niche, they may change their marketing strategy to appeal to that desired market. If your website still has the old branding that’s more generalized or tailored to a less interested audience, then you risk the opportunity to close on your consumer base.
If you are stuck with old verbiage or marketing that doesn’t work for your preferred customer, then it’s time to reconsider your website’s branding. Fresh content that’s tailored to your specific clientele will ensure that you hit your target more frequently.
UPDATING YOUR SITE ISN’T EASY
Adding fresh content to your site is important for making sure that your SEO ranking continues to perform well, so it’s essential that you can update the content on it with ease. Once upon a time, website owners would have to contact their developers to have content edited; today, Content Management Systems (CMS) make it easy to implement changes. However, many CMS plugins and tools need updates of their own. If your web team isn’t staying on top of it, the backend of your website can become faulty, and your website can start to bug out. In certain cases, the necessary update is so far ahead of what is currently on the site that trying to install it is impossible.
Don’t let your website start to lag. If you’re having trouble updating content or plugins on your site, it’s time to start looking at new options. A facelift could be just what you need to bring your site back to optimal performance.
GRIFFINWINK IS YOUR WEBSITE DOCTOR
We hate for business owners to feel like they aren’t getting the best results from their websites. That’s why our experienced web team takes the time to ensure that your website is up to date with unique content that’s easy to edit at a moment’s notice. Our design team and content creators have exactly what you need to claim your spot on the internet. Don’t let your website become a side project; put it front and center where it belongs. Contact GriffinWink today!