Just like your toughest client, your website needs constant care and affection. If you don’t show it some love, it’s bad for business. Keeping your online presence up-to-date can do wonders for your brand’s visibility – so if you haven’t updated your website since the days of dial-up, here are a few reasons why your business needs it:
The usability factor
While you may have only heard about it recently, the fields of UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design have taken off – this is because a good user experience will produce results when it comes to the web. The structure of your website should feature important content such as your blog, which may be part of your digital marketing strategy.
While having the right content on your site is important to attract leads from search engines, so is its presentation. Having a beautiful, concise landing page and simple navigation can drastically increase your site’s conversion rates (the number of people who stay on your site after arriving and/or return to it). Boring, text-heavy pages and drop-down menus that seem to drop down to the bottom of a cliff are a thing of the past.
While having the right content on your site is important to attract leads from search engines, so is its presentation. Having a beautiful, concise landing page and simple navigation can drastically increase your site’s conversion rates (the number of people who stay on your site after arriving and/or return to it). Boring, text-heavy pages and drop-down menus that seem to drop down to the bottom of a cliff are a thing of the past.
Your site isn’t mobile-friendly
Did you know that Google now ranks mobile-friendly, or “responsive” websites higher than their fixed-layout counterparts? If your competitors are keeping up with web standards and you aren’t, your business is likely to suffer. One of the most important parts of a modern website is its responsiveness.
Responsive websites are not only search engine friendly, but increase the likeliness of users staying on your website when viewing it from a mobile device. The importance of a responsive website became impossible to ignore when mobile internet usage actually surpassed PC usage in 2014.
With last month’s algorithm changes from Google to prioritize mobile friendliness, non-responsiveness could be a death knell for your website’s search engine ranks. You may have an established customer base, but you risk falling short for new customers without a mobile-friendly website.
You’ve rebranded
As any businessperson knows, branding is extremely important. The right branding will help your business attract customers over the competitor, while consistent branding is imperative to the credibility of your business. You may have redesigned your storefront, added new items to the menu or changed your outreach strategy – but none of that is conveyed to interested parties if it is not reflected through your online presence.
Your website is just as important for your business as a passerby seeing your new sign, or the new sales pitch you’re giving to walk-in clients. For your business initiatives to realize their potential impact, they need to reach as wide of an audience as possible.
Your website needs new functionalities
If you’re like most businesses, you’ve had to adapt to a changing media environment in recent years by incorporating social media into your marketing strategy. At minimum, your website should include links to your social networks. Even better, your website can generate leads by hosting your latest video marketing campaign, for example. However, when these new functionalities are added to existing websites, the design often suffers.
New website features should be incorporated into the design from square one to ensure a user-friendly site and brand consistency. A mismatched or confusing appearance can distract users from your core message, and even deter them from your site completely.
In sum, a good website needs both functionality and style. A website redesign can seem intimidating, but a modern, SEO-friendly website will keep your business relevant and competitive. Working with a professional web design team makes the process painless and even fun, and ensures that your new website is modern, clean and effective.
