Spring marks the season of new beginnings. Flowers are blooming, homeowners are tackling cleaning and renovation projects, and businesses are looking for ways to refresh and revitalize their brand and attract new customers. If you’re not sure where to get started, we have some ideas. Today, we’re sharing four tell-tale signs that it’s time to update your website, before it starts negatively impacting your bottom line:
1. Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly
More than half of all online traffic comes from mobile devices, making responsive design imperative to the online success of your business. Beyond responsiveness, your website should also present a similar user experience, in terms of functionality and convenience, when compared to desktop. In fact, 85% of adults believe a company’s mobile site should be as good as or better than their desktop website. And if that’s not enough to make you think twice—failure to optimize across devices can result in major loss of business, with 57% of internet users saying they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site.
Still need convincing? In addition to consumers feeling put-off by a mediocre experience, mobile responsiveness is a key factor in Google’s ranking algorithm. When websites aren’t optimized for mobile, they run the risk of not appearing in search results, decreasing the odds of attracting new business and in turn, revenue. Luckily, Google has made their mobile-first indexing best practices readily available.
2. Your Website Isn’t Optimized for SEO
93% of online experiences start with a search engine, which means your business has endless opportunities to convert organic traffic and establish relationships with loyal, paying customers. By investing in a solid SEO strategy, you can further establish the credibility of your business and build trust with online users.
SEO strategy has become increasingly important during the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just impact the way we live our lives or operate businesses, it also changed the way consumers support small businesses. If you want your business to be seen and supported—you must be discoverable online. SEO is critical now and for long-term success.
3. Your Website Lacks Functionality
Perhaps the most obvious sign your website needs to be updated is the lack of functionality. Slow loading times (which cost retailers $2.6 billion in lost sales annually), poor navigation, and lack of accessibility are all indicators of poor functionality and lead to bad user experiences. And when customers encourage issues of this nature they leave, resulting in high bounce rates, abandoned carts, and loss of sales.
Tip: Ensure your website is ADA compliant. Failure to do so can land businesses in legal trouble. In 2020 alone, digital accessibility lawsuits exceeded 3,500 cases in the United States.
4. Your Branding is MIA
Your website is the digital storefront for your business and just like a traditional brick-and-mortar location, branding should be strong and consistent. This helps customers learn more about your business, fosters a sense of connection, and entices them to explore your products/services.
Not only can using a signature brand color increase recognition by 80%, consistent presentation of a brand can increase revenue by 33%. If you’ve been displaying old, outdated content, or worse—no branding at all—you may unknowingly be pushing prospective customers into the arms of more brand savvy competitors.
It takes about two-tenths of a second for online visitors to form an opinion about your brand and when it comes to your website, this determines whether they stay and have a look around or leave. If your website is lack in any (or all) of the ways we’ve shared here, it may mean you’re losing business. Whether it’s time for a minor refresh or a major redesign—our team of expert marketing professionals can help. Reach out today to find out more about how we can help revitalize your business for the year ahead.
