7 Reasons why you need to update your business website.

Design trends and online technology change so frequently these days,
that it’s hard to keep up for most companies. Although staying current with trends may not be top of your marketing list, staying up to date
with online technology is essential. Most people think they can have a
website designed once and that it’s now good for the next 10 years..or
even forever. Sadly this is not the case, but how do you know when it’s
time for an overhaul? It’s not like websites (and corporate/promotional
media) has an expiry date like stale food in a supermarket. To make sure
you capitalise on all of the new online opportunities and maximise your
incoming traffic, a stale website could be the one thing holding you
back.

Most companies that shun the thought of further outlay for their
website are really shooting themselves in the foot. It many not have
been in your initial budget, but spending some extra cash on a new
website could render a high return on your investment. Every company
should consider revamping their website at least every 2-3 years.

What does a stale website say about your company?

Having an old, uninspiring company website can be almost as damaging
as not having one at all. If your site still looks like it did 10 years
ago, the chances are it’s not doing you any favours. Moreover, if your
site was designed in Adobe Flash (as so many were in this time period)
then your site also isn’t displaying on half of the worlds devices.
Below we will discuss the reasons for creating a brand new website and
also some more obvious pointers that your old site is now obsolete.

1. Your Website Isn’t responsive (mobile-friendly)
With 40% of websites being viewed on mobile devices and growing fast, if
your website isn’t responsive it’s time for a new one. This is probably
one of the most important and most common reasons to start looking for a
web designer.
Mobile viewers want fast loading, intuitive websites that are easy to
navigate and easy to read. Features such as one-click phone dialling and
other new “intelligent” features are only available to the user if they
have been specially programmed. You simply wont find these on an older
website.

2. An outdated and stale design
The second most common reason for a website being redesigned is age.
Your website may have looked passable 10 years ago when web design was
largely still in it’s infancy, but today’s websites are a whole new
story. First impressions count if you are trying to entice a new
customer or client. A website that is too basic or looks like it was
designed with old technologies will send your target audience running a
mile. If you take into account that your website’s appearance is a
direct reflection of your business image, then it makes sense to make
sure it’s polished.

3. Online web builders are a waste of time and money
The third reason that most companies hunt for a professional web
designer, is that they have tried to use an online web builder. At
Dreamkatcha we constantly have requests from new customers, asking if we
can take their attempt at creating a company website for free and turn
it into a fully functioning website. Unfortunately, the answer is always
NO! Due to the way that these online web builders are rigged, the site
is truly stuck with the originating company. The website cant be
migrated like a usual website and the code is hidden from all other web
developers. This is completely intentional and locks you in to the ever
rising hosting charges and optional (yet really essential) extras. View
some of our projects here.

4. The technology is out of date
Even if your website was created with the latest technology 5 years ago,
if it hasn’t been updated on a regular basis, it’s dangerously out of
date. I say dangerous because hackers and viruses evolve at the same
rate as technology does, sometimes even quicker. Whatever security your
website had in place 5 years ago, won’t be effective in today’s
minefield of risks and threats. This is especially true if your site was
created with a CMS platform such as WordPress or Joomla. This software
is open source and is freely available to the public and unfortunately,
hackers. This means once a liability is found in the code, it is freely
available to everyone. This leaves your website open for attack from
even the most novice of trouble makers.

5. Ever evolving browsers and operating systems
There seems to be a new IOS or new website browser created every month
these days! Thankfully, most people stick the main players such as
Firefox, Safari and Chrome. Although these browsers all use similar
structures, they all display your site slightly differently. Due to the
endless variations of themes and base platforms this can leave your site
displaying irregularly on some browsers. This is usually ironed out
once your web designer has finished on the creative side and began to
troubleshoot across browsers. If they haven’t then you need to find a
new designer. Read this article to help you find a good web designer.
But what happens when you software company releases a major update to
their browser? These updates are usually minor and nothing to worry
about, but over time there will be some fairly large reprogramming. This
can leave your website almost unreadable with elements displaying all
over the shop. What’s worse is that functionality will also halt,
leaving contact forms and other essential elements completely useless.

6. Products or features are out of date
Businesses change and grow over the years. luckily your online marketing
can be changed without having to spend your entire budget on printing
new media. You may have a range of products that you no longer sell, or
perhaps have a whole new section to add. You may also have services that
you no longer provide, or the focus of you business has now changed and
you want to promote something new. If your web designer hasn’t included
a CMS (Content Management System) then you are most likely going to
need a professional to make these changes for you.

7. Your website is underperforming
If you aren’t getting the results You expected from your website, then
maybe you just cant see how bad it is. Not everybody is web design savvy
and it’s easy to be convinced by others that your website is
great…even by your web designer! You may believe your site is
functioning as it should be, yet most viewers are simply put off and
jump ship. This could be down to a number of reasons, such as dull and
uninspiring design, or poor user interface making it near impossible to
navigate.

Many of these problems can be down to not hiring the right web
designer. If you have tried to hire someone on the cheap such as a
friend or amateur from freelance websites or abroad, then unfortunately
you get what you paid for! Save yourself a lot of time, money and stress
– hire a professional web designer from the start!

If you want to know what changes you should make? Read our next article coming soon….

If you would like to know what Dreamkatcha could do for your business website, to help increase traffic and revenue, contact us today via our website.