Do I Need A New Website?

When we started creating websites for businesses nearly 20 years ago, creating the website was hard, but getting people to find your website was relatively easy. Just having a website guaranteed that you would get traffic. Today, there are more than 500,000 websites published every day. Just having a website today, is not enough.

Assuming you have a website how do you know when it is time to update or create a new site? First, things first, a website is a dynamic marketing instrument. Ideally you are updating it daily, but at least weekly. Let’s get updating your website out of the way and just assume you are not updating it as often as you should.

Why should you be updating your site often? The number one reason is because search engines are looking for the most current, up-to-date, relevant information related to a searcher’s inquiry. They are constantly scouring the web for current relevant information related to the searcher’s intent and location. If your site is not updated often, the search bots will stop checking your site for new information and your competitors will begin to rise above you in the search results and you could be losing current and prospective customers to your competitors.

Reason number one to consider a new website is: Your current site is not easy to update and add content.

There have been many changes and improvements in web technologies since the beginning of the Internet. The most significant improvement for small businesses without an IT staff is the vast improvement in website editors allowing non-technical users to become the masters of their websites and not vise versa. Easy to use editors allow quick and easy changes and provide for simple posting of blog articles and creation of new pages to your website. And most allow you to create great looking content without having any design background, allowing you to be consistent to your brand’s look and feel.

Reason number two: Your current site looks old and does not reflect your brand.

Because a visitor has so many choices at the click of a button first impressions mean more today than ever. Visitors typically leave a website in 10-20 seconds. And will decide whether your site is relevant to them in less than 3 seconds. That means you must be clear what your site is about and how you can help solve a problem or provide value immediately. If you are a premium provider and your site appears bargain basement or DIY, you probably are not going to have an opportunity to have a conversation. If this, is you, now is the time to rethink your strategy and create a new site!

Reason number three: People visit your site but do not take any action – we call that a conversion.

We do search engine optimization for many of our clients. Search Engine Optimization is the art and science of helping search engines understand your site better to move you up in the search results and get more traffic to your site. But traffic without conversions is little better than no traffic at all. If you have people coming to your site but not taking any action to call, complete a contact or request for quote form, etc. then now is the time for a new conversion focused website!

Reason Number four: Your site is confusing and hard to find relevant information.

If this, is you, then maybe, you should bump this to reason number one! Nothing will drive a visitor away faster than being confused. Your website is not the place you want them to have to think. If your website menu structure is confusing, or I do not know where I am or how I got there, I am likely not sticking around to figure it out. The best CTA (calls to action) and the best offers will not convert anyone who does not stick around long enough to find them. We see this a lot with clients that have actively been working on their site over several years. We have even been guilty of it in the past and probably will be in the future as well. Adding content can sometimes make your site a bit less than intuitive when it comes to finding something specific. If, we as humans, are confused, guess what the search engine bots are doing trying to make sense of it all. A reorganization and restructuring of your website are one of the best reasons to consider it is time for a new website.

Reason number five: Your website is not mobile device friendly.

In 2020, 68.1% of all website visits came from mobile devices. Stop! Go Back and Read that Again. If your site is not mobile friendly, you may be losing out on a significant amount of business. That does not mean having a good desktop website is not important, because desktop devices drive 53.3% of total time on sites in the US. The key is to have the best of both worlds with a responsive or adaptive website that automatically adjusts for optimal viewing based on the visitor’s device. If your site fits in this category, you may want to consider this Reason #1 and contact us for a consultation on how we can help re-organize, rebuild and help convert your visitors to action takers.

And my final reason: If you have to ask: “Is my website is ADA compliant?” or “Does my website need to be ADA compliant?” you need a new website. The courts have ruled and made clear that every business (with few exceptions) must have an ADA compliant website.

Can an older site be made ADA compliant? Yes, but many times, the cost in time and effort to update an existing site to be compliant is more costly and less effective than just starting over with a new ADA compliant site to begin with. Small and large companies are being hit with demand letters, left and right. And the potential cost of not having a complaint website can run into the thousands of dollars and those are just the settlement costs. You will still then need to upgrade or build a new ADA compliant website or shut down your website entirely.

If the Covid-19 Pandemic taught us anything the web is only growing in popularity and more important to business today than ever. Businesses that do not sell traditional products are now finding they can do business with customers directly from the web making it easier to do business with them and quicker and easier to get paid while doing it. Don’t lose your share of potential business due to any of these major reasons to tackle the task of redesigning and re-organizing your site to convert more visitors into customers.