You don't use the same marketing plan year after year, and the same goes for your website. With the new year upon us, now is the perfect opportunity to look at how your website is serving your business, or if you are not online if it is the right time to build a new website.
There are a number of questions you can ask yourself when considering if the time is right to upgrade your website. One of the most important is 'Is your website mobile responsive'. With so many people turning to their smartphones and tablet technology for information 'at their fingertips', your website needs to be responsive. I spent half a day researching catteries for my cat before we went away and only one of the 10 that I found online had a responsive website. While it wasn't the deciding factor in who I chose, the thought "is this business averse to change" did occur to me. Additionally, the mobile responsiveness made it a lot easier to find the info I needed, quickly, without all the zooming in and out.
Your website is the storefront of your business, whether you have an actual store or not, it represents you and your company to visitors. You want people to feel welcomed, to have a seamless experience while they are "shopping" (checking you out), and to be easily able to find out what they want to know and how to contact or connect with you. Whether looking at upgrading your website has been on your mind or it hadn't occurred to you yet, the below questions will help give you clarity.
Questions to ask yourself when considering upgrading or building a new website:
What is my website goal and am I still achieving it?
If your website is a number of years old, chances are your business has evolved and your goals and objectives will have changed too. If your website still meets these goals that is fantastic, there are still other things to consider, read on.
Is my website mobile responsive?
Many of the people visiting your website will be using a mobile device and it is crucial your website works and looks just as good here as on the desktop. Your users will have a better experience, and you will save them time and frustration.
Can visitors easily access your contact information?
Having your phone number visible and linkable is a plus when people reach for their mobile devices, they can click and call you straight away. A map to easily find you using Google maps is standard in most websites today, and an email form for enquiries helps to filter out spam.
What are your competitors doing?
Have a look at your competitors online and what their website looks like. If their website beats yours hands down, you are potentially missing out on clients and customers. It would definitely be worthwhile to upgrade your website if this is the case.
Is there a clear path to the important information on your site, along with a call to action?
Visitors will have a goal in mind when they reach your website (taking a look at what leads them to you will help clarify this - don't be afraid to ask). Visitors will reach the home page and then either contact you directly, or go on to find out more. Consider the path you want them to take and build this in to your website clearly, making the experience a satisfying and easy one. The visitor will then think 'yes, this business gets me, and what I am after'.
Do you have testimonials, and information about you / your business for credibility and trust?
Testimonials go without saying, and not only on your website, do you have a Google Business page set up where people can leave reviews? Are you having reviews left on Facebook? Incorporate these (with permission) on your website, so visitors begin to develop a sense of trust, professionalism and credibility for your business.
What do you like and dislike about your website?
Take a look yourself, ask trusted friends and colleagues to also review your website. What appeals to you, what works well, what doesn't look good, what does? If there are many things that you do not like or that are not working well, it is time to upgrade, or there may only be a few areas for improvement.
Does your website represent who you are and what you do?
You know your website is working for you when people tell you it is. Consider the purpose of your website, if it is for credibility and you are told that people chose you because of the reviews great. If it is to sell your products or services yet you find you get phone calls from people asking what you do, then perhaps the website is not doing what it needs to.
How does your website perform?
Check out the stats: do you get a lot of bounces, do your pages load quickly, are people watching the videos, are people visiting more than one page? If your site is slow to load you could be putting off potential customers and clients.
Is your website search engine friendly?
Have you got a Google Business page set up and is it complete, are your meta descriptions complete, do you have internal linking on your website? These factors play a role in your search engine ranking.
These are just some things to consider when looking at the timing to upgrade your website. If you need help deciding if your website needs an upgrade please get in touch, I am happy to talk you through different options or to brainstorm ideas. You can check out some of our new business website builds here, our existing business makeovers here, and other website design projects design projects here.