V9.35: Websites Are A Process Not A Project

Have you thought about your website lately? Obviously, we’re huge advocates for inbound marketing, but it’s important to remember where you’re directing your traffic. To your website, of course! So, if any of your landing pages aren’t up to par, you’re going to see a great decrease in your conversions. Remember that websites should be treated like a process not a project. You should be updating them frequently.

We know that updating your website can be time consuming and pricey so we tend to push it off for as long as we possibly can. It is absolutely vital that you stay up to date with your site.

So, you might remember our past blog with 8 reasons from Hubspot on why you should redesign your website. Here are 8 more reasons why you should update your site as soon as you can from Susanna Gebauer. We think you might find them intriguing and very helpful!

1. “The Bounce Rate” If your website has a fairly high bounce rate, it is definitely time to upgrade. After you’ve compared it to your industry standard, find out if it has been increasing over time or staying steady. If the rate has been steady for a while, you can probably wait a bit. On the other hand, however, if your bounce rate has increased, you’ll want to take action as soon as possible. Maybe your keywords aren’t relevant anymore or maybe your audience has shifted. Either way, the bounce rate can be very telling in deciding if you need to change your site.
2. “Conversions” Optimizing for conversions is usually the best way to boost your sales. If your website isn’t very good, conversions will start to lower. Similarly to checking in on your bounce rate, check in on the rate of your conversions. You’ll want to figure out where in the marketing funnel your leads are falling off. An update of your site could be extraordinarily beneficial in solving your issue.
3. “The Demographics” It’s always a smart idea to look at your demographics. You might think you know exactly what type of people are interested in your product, but things change and target markets shift. Keep an eye on the various types of people who are buying your product or looking into your site. It can help a lot in catering your website to the right people.
4. “Your site looks dated” This should be a no brainer. If your website looks like a screenshot from 2009, it’s definitely time to move on. We live in a fast paced, ever-changing world. Don’t let outdated technology hinder you. Update your website to stay with the times.
5. “Your company has changed” If your business has changed, why wouldn’t your first step be to revamp all the things that represent said business? Don’t let your website fall behind just because it might be difficult to update it. If you change your marketing techniques, you should consider changing your site as well. It could really make or break your tactics.
6. “Your product has changed” Quite similarly, if you have changed your product or service in anyway, your website must reflect the new update. You might think it’s not that big of a deal, but it is. Your website is the ultimate representation of who you are and what you offer. Make sure it aligns with your product and mission in order to stay relevant.
7. “Flash” If you are still using Flash, it’s time to seriously reconsider. There are just too many security risks involved with Flash these days. Most of the time browsers don’t even support it anyway. Also, Google can’t search Flash which can hinder your SEO rankings by a lot. So, do yourself (and all of your website viewers) a favor and stay away from things that don’t work well.
8. “You’re not using Flat Design” Jump on the bandwagon, folks! Everyone is using the flat design these days because it just looks and responds better. It has a more minimalist feel and doesn’t rely too heavily on text. It is meant to be optimized for the viewer. It’s all about usability.

Okay, so that was eight amazing reasons to update your website. If a few of these stood out to you, it might be time to upgrade that site of yours. It could do great things for your business if you stay on top of the tech trends. Let your website be a visually stimulating experience that users will enjoy and find easy to maneuver.