You’re thinking about investing in a website re-design. You know a fresh look will breathe new life into your website, and your business. I have gone into detail about other things that new design will do for you that may not have crossed your mind.
Your clients will be able to check you out on their phones.
It’s 2014. 72% of mobile users consider it important that a website is mobile-friendly. They will most likely abandon a website and never revisit if it does not meet their expectations. Mobile doesn’t always mean ‘on the go’. More than half the people polled said they look something up on their phones even if there’s a computer in the room. Don’t get left behind because your website won’t format for a mobile device.
- 81 percent of people prefer mobile for its convenience and speed (Duda Mobile/Google)
- 55 percent of purchase related conversions occur within 1 hour of mobile search (Duda Mobile/ Google)
- 17 percent of people make a purchase after a mobile search (Duda Mobile/ Google)
- 94 percent of smartphone owners look for local information on their phone (Televox)
You’ll show up on search results.
These days, almost everything begins with a Google search. If you haven’t updated your website in a while, you probably aren’t ranking too high on that search. Updating a website helps you with search engine optimization. Google loves current and updated sites.
You’ll target your clients more effectively.
When you first got a website, or even the last time you updated it, you had a certain idea of what your clients looked like, wanted, and were attracted to. Chances are, you are now much better in tune with what type of clients you want to attract and what those clients are looking for. The main place you should be displaying that new knowledge is on your website, so if you update your website, you can tailor content and design to appeal to your current needs.
You will show your clients that you care about them.
By updating a website yet keeping the same branding, the logo and color scheme, you tell your clients that you care enough about them to stay current and keep them engaged.
You’ll proud and excited about your website.
Having a new design will compel you to talk more about your website. You’ll use it as the tool it is intended for. You no longer will make excuses for it.
You’ll be able to measure the effectiveness of your website.
An old website may not be equipped with the necessary tools that will help you measure how effective your online presence is. Nowadays, there are an assortment of online tools you can invest in to help you measure what works and what doesn’t on your website, right down to the minutest detail. However, in order to use those, you will need a modern website.
You’ll be able to easily update your website yourself.
An up-to-date website based on a content management system such as WordPress makes it easy to administer, avoid any messy code, and simply write in what you want in an organized fashion. That way, you can personally add to or switch your content based on your specific goals, while constantly optimizing your website.
It’ll be less likely to be hacked.
Stories of websites and social media feeds getting hacked are becoming more and more frequent. Security flaws can rear their ugly heads on any website, new or old, but the likelihood of security flaws affecting an older website is much greater as it relies on older technology.
It takes employee time away from something else.
Not so much anymore. There are full service website design companies that will take the burden off of you. I know at my firm we will take the necessary photos, write the copy and design the site. All you have to do is write the check and enjoy the rewards.
Something that may stand in the way of you upgrading. (and the biggest reasons people don’t update their sites more often).
It costs money.
Done well updating a site does cost, but the added value will help your bottom line. Just like any other marketing tool a website should be budgeted for. Find a designer you can easily work with and get the ball rolling.
It’s 2014. Your clients are website savvy. They will appreciate you taking the time to take care of them.
