If you’re a small business owner, then you know that your website is your “digital shingle.” Out there on the Internet, your website hangs on the front door of your business, marking you as a credible source and inviting potential customers in to “meet” you. Over time, you’ll notice signs you should update your website.
Don’t ignore those signs!
It’s essential to maintain and update your website, so that it does the job you intended it to do: bring in business.
Here are 10 signs you should update your website:
1. Load Time Is Slow
Did you know that your website should load in 2 seconds – OR LESS?
That’s right, if it takes MORE THAN 2 SECONDS to load, your website is too slow.
In fact, studies show that 53% of users will abandon a mobile site if they have to spend 3 seconds or more drumming their fingers while it loads.
Plus, websites that take up to 3 seconds to load have a probable bounce rate of 32%. This bounce rate jumps to 90% if a site takes up to 5 seconds to load. It leaps to a whopping 106% if the website has a 6-second load time.
If you set up your website to attract customers, then a slow website is a great way to send them away. Take this as a sign to improve your website’s speed.
2. You Don’t Get a Lot of Traffic
If you notice that your website is barely visited, then it’s not doing the job you’re paying it to do! Your website is there not only to attract visitors, but to convert customers. If you don’t have the traffic, you won’t have the business.
Low website traffic could be a sign that your online content isn’t optimized. As a result, when potential customers search for offerings like yours, your website doesn’t appear as an option.
3. You Have Many Broken Links
You can boost your SEO by including outbound and internal links in your website’s content. These links serve as doors to new or valuable information that can help your customers.
However, broken links will serve as barriers. The last you want is for your customers to get frustrated as they try to interact with your website!
Consider this:
A website has a call to action with a link to the business’ “Contact Us” page. But, that link produces a “404 Error.” What do you think the website’s visitors will do?
Probably, they’ll get frustrated and leave.
Broken links are a sign that your website needs regular, consistent maintenance.
4. Optimization Isn’t Mobile-Friendly
Optimizing your website for mobile devices is no longer a “nice to do” sort of thing; mobile optimization is absolutely essential.
If you enter your URL on your mobile device’s browser, and the page appears exactly as it does on a desktop browser, address this immediately. It’s a clear sign you should update your website.
When websites aren’t optimized for mobile devices, users will have a poor experience. They’ll see cut-off text, tiny writing, and confusing navigation.
Websites that are not optimized for mobile devices are a sign that your website needs to be refreshed for modern expectations.
5. You Target a New Audience
Your small business will likely evolve over time. Perhaps you’ll develop a new product or service, or maybe an unexpected demographic begins patronizing your business regularly.
When you begin targeting a new audience, your website will need to reflect that. For example, content, calls to action, and various landing pages should be updated to target your new group and improve your website’s chances of being found.
New audiences are a sign that you should take a fresh look at your website’s appearance and content.
6. Your Site Navigation Is Confusing
When users visit your site, they should be able to navigate it without hitting barriers. If they don’t know where to find certain information, or they get lost in drop down menus, they could abandon your site pretty quickly.
Your website’s navigation should be intuitive, clean, and clear.
Signs that your navigation is confusing include:
- An enormous menu bar
- Too many drop-down menus
- Lots of technical jargon
- Cluttered layout
7. Your Design Is Outdated
Web design trends and technologies are always developing. Over time, new capabilities and strategies emerge, equipping business owners with fresh, modern ways to offer potential customers a great user experience.
Conventional wisdom suggests that websites should be updated every three years.
Websites that have not been updated are a sign that numerous other problems could be happening. For example, your website experiences slow load time, outdated technology, faulty plugins, dwindling user experience, or simply an unattractive appearance.
How long has it been since you’ve updated yours?
8. Appearance Doesn’t Reflect Your Brand
If your website uses a ton of stock photography or bland colors, then you won’t give users the true experience of what you offer. These days, users really want to know “who” they’re hiring, not just “what” they’re getting.
Unbranded websites, or websites with an ineffective brand strategy, are a sign of weak customer relationships. Developing your brand appearance on your website will help you engage with customers in more meaningful ways.
9. You Don’t Have Calls to Action
Strong calls to action urge potential customers to make a decision, to interact with you, or – best of all – to purchase something you’re offering.
Do you have CTAs on every page in your website? Are your CTAs clear? Are the links in your CTAs active?
If you answer “no” to any of those questions, this could be a sign that your website needs a deep audit. Adding strong CTAs throughout your website will help build relationships and convert customers.
10. Appearance is Jumbled
It’s tempting to put EVERYTHING on your homepage. After all, you offer wonderful products and services, which are loved by many, so why not throw it all on the homepage?
BUT…
Crowded homepages confuse users and present a poor appearance. They are a sign that a professional should review your digital strategy and refresh your website.
🌟 How Should You Update Your Website?
These ten signs you should update your website are guideposts to evaluate your small business’ website.
It’s possible that all you need to do is re-write and add some content, or use some quality control to fix some bugs.
But, it’s also possible you need a professional to fully audit your website, identify changes, and refresh your online presentation.
We at Spicy Lemon Marketing can do that!
We bring a healthy combination of expert digital strategy and professional content writing. Together, we help small businesses develop strong digital strategies and optimize their online presence.
Let’s start this process together. If you have found clear signs you should update your website, Click here to learn how we can refresh your website and help you grow!
