Many businesses carry on with the same old website, thinking that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. However the question is, was it working in the first place? The internet has changed beyond recognition since it first arrived in our lives all those years ago. Then eventually every business realised they needed a website just to keep up with the Jones’.
People doing business
So websites became an area for you to showcase your brochures, your products and your services, and as such were treated like a brochure – sat on a shelf, occasionally picked up and looked at, then put down again.
Nowadays, the internet has driven websites to change dramatically. The truth is that websites should have a healthy change on a regular basis, and moreover, websites should change as your business grows and changes. People too often forget about their website, but when worked in the right way, it potentially can be your silent salesman, at a far less cost too!
Signs to look out for that it may be time to change your website:
- Your business has grown, your business strategy has changed and your products have changed – is this reflected in your website? Business change all the time, and the last bit of marketing to be informed is the website! Oh, we’ll get round to it eventually. Top tip here – treat your website as you would a member of your staff. Look after them and they will look after you.
- Does your website have a “Call-To-Action” request on the home page? When anyone lands on your website, what do they see? And what do you want them to do? If they are not doing this – then it’s not working.
- Does your website have new content regularly. Maybe you wrote the content a few years ago. If so, why would anyone want to re-visit your website? What is it telling them, that this is a company that hasn’t moved on.
- Check out the design. If your design is looking a little 90’s, or the images are dated, or even if it looks a little hand-made. Visitors like to see new images, and easy navigation is paramount. You have 30 seconds to capture a potential customer, if your design is boring then your visitor will move on.
- Fundamentally – how many customers comment on your website. Does Google drive a lot of traffic to your site? How many enquiries does your site return? If no-one visits and no-one comments, then it’s time for change.
Just remember that a website re-design is all about engaging with your customers. As web technology moves on, businesses move on and it’s not as expensive as you think. We promote Wordpress to many of our clients as we believe it is the perfect platform for expressing the character of your business. It’s versatile and robust with the ability to use as many plug-ins as you like to make it do what you want.
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