Like most technology, websites do age and eventually become obsolete. Their value dwindles and while you may amass better SEO rankings by sheerly having the site online for a long period of time, that too can disappear as Google’s algorithms evolve to search for the most valuable content on the web. If your website was built in the early 2000s, chances are it is visually dated and making updates is tough so the content is stale, so it’s pretty obvious you need a rebuild. But what if the signs of an aging website are less obvious?
Remember, a website is an asset in your marketing strategy just like an ad you pay for or a campaign you run on multiple channels, it has a goal and an ROI you can and should measure. If your website is 12 months or 12 years old matters less than if your website is successfully pulling its weight or not.
So when do you pull the trigger on a full-site overhaul and rethink your website strategy?
Let's explore some of the biggest signs you can spot that tell you your business needs a new website:
A High Bounce Rate
According to Google Analytics, the term “bounce rate” refers to a percentage of single-page visitors on a website. Basically, it's the percentage of people who go to the website only to visit the first page they end up on and then leave. Instead of clicking through to another page, visitors who bounce fall under one of these categories:
Visitors that did not find what they were looking for
Visitors that found your webpage far too slow
Visitors that struggled to navigate or use the website
Visitors that were not interested in learning more
Rephrasing your website’s content can help increase the number of people that stay on your site and pass through your sales funnel. If your bounce rate remains high (meaning nobody is staying on your site after seeing one page, or two), it’s time to redesign or update the copy and content on your website.
Page Load Speeds That Are Way Too Slow
Older websites tend to have issues with how long their pages load for your visitors. The user experience (UX) then takes a hit since, let's face it, all of our tolerance for waiting on technology is rapidly dwindling.
Instant gratification has become a requirement to be relevant when it comes to internet use. Your visitors won't have the patience to wait for longer than a second or two before images finally appear, or text loads, or nothing happens instantly when they click a button.
You should optimize your website to load quickly in order to reduce bounce rates, as well as improve your search ranking. Check out your website’s page load speed by dropping the URL of any page on your website here.
The Brand Isn't Reflected By the Website
The first two signs it’s time for a website overhaul or at least some maintenance are tactical, they can be measured, improved, and re-measured. But your brand is a little tougher to evaluate. Your brand, products, and communication methods develop over time—has your website kept pace? It’s quite common especially in startups to see a brand really solidify after a couple of years especially if branding was not prioritized up front (that’s why if you are running a startup, investing in an easy to update website is so important, it’s a great way to test messaging, position, and brand).
Branding is how you differentiate yourself from your competitors and with your website, you only have one chance to make a first impression. Make sure you have a site that has been designed to match your message, brand, and products and also speaks to the pain points of your customers. Even if you did take the time to do proper branding and persona research, chances are you’ve learned much since then and that needs to be reflected on your website.
If your company doesn't have a modern website, or if your website doesn't match the image you want to project, people will notice. If that's the case, get a new site or at least a temporary site to allow you to get your message out.
Conclusion
Think of your website like the front of a brick and mortar store. Giving a good impression (“good” is relative to your brand here) will invite customers in. A website is the first point of contact any business has with potential clients and customers so it’s important that it too invites the visitors you want in and it’s kept up-to-date.
Trying to find a web design consultancy? Reach out to Torch Digital Labs today. We’re on a mission to help businesses achieve their digital goals by leveraging amazing tools.
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