Your website is no longer just a website – it is the virtual face of your company. Consumers will decide within seconds of visiting your site if they will want to possibly use your services or make a purchase from you or not. Attractive websites with easy navigation have been proven to increase traffic, revenues, and sales for retail companies. And, in the era of mobile search, you need to understand the importance of mobile-friendly websites.
How do you know if your website is working for you or if it is possibly hurting your business? First off, you really should be checking your website’s analytics regularly. This will really help you see your traffic flow (is your traffic non-existent?) as well as things like how long people stay on your pages, how they found your website and more. If you are noticing that you are either no longer getting traffic, or you have a high bounce rate (Your bounce rate shows you the percentage of your visitors who bounce off of your site. The lower the number – the better) then it may be time to look over your website and make some updates.
So, what about your website is possibly hurting your business or turning customers away?
Your Website Is Outdated
If you have not updated your website in 4 or 5 years (or longer), your website is definitely outdated! 75% of website visitors admit to drawing conclusions about a company’s credibility based on their website’s design.
If a customer visits your website and it looks “old” or “abandoned”, customers will more than likely leave. An abandoned website is not only visually unappealing to the customer – but they will also feel unsafe using it or purchasing from it. An outdated website is like putting a ‘Closed for Business’ sign in your window.” This means they will probably end up searching for, purchasing from or using your competitor! You MUST be willing to invest in your website and stay on top of the new visual trends and website security. The layout needs to display the information consumers seek in a clean and easy to digest (modern/trending/new) method.
Your Website Is not Responsive or Mobile Friendly
A “responsive website” allows for an easy and streamlined use on all platforms (PC, tablet, phone etc.) and adapts to the size of any screen it is being viewed on. You no longer need to host 2 websites to do this either!
A responsive design increases traffic from mobile users! Google loves responsive design and actually rewards you for it by giving you an SEO rank advantage. Having a responsive design signals Google that your page is formatted for all platforms including mobile and in return Google can better index your site and content, above pages that are not formatted this way. This gives you a higher chance of being found on a mobile search on Google. Also, according to Google: Mobile pages that provide a poor search experience can be demoted in rankings or displayed with a warning in mobile search results.
Your Website Takes Too Long To Load
Page load speed time is the amount of time it takes your website to load when someone is trying to access it. If a page or website you’re wanting to access doesn’t load really quickly then you’re most likely going to close out of it and move on to the next thing. Consumers want the information that they’re looking for as soon as possible. If it’s taking 10 to 15 seconds for your page to load, most likely you’re losing a lot of people. Your page load speed time is not just going to help increase your conversion rates because more people are actually accessing your website, it’s also going to help make sure that you are showing up higher in search results.
Your Security Is Not Up To Date
Dated security measures leave you more vulnerable to a breach. Even if you don’t sell directly from your website – understand that hackers aren’t always looking for money. They’re looking for personal information, which includes social security numbers, credit card information, emails, addresses, birthdays and more. Don’t be negligent with your security — for your customers’ sake and yours.
The purpose of a business site is to move your customer through the sales process. If it’s been a while since you refreshed your website, people may assume you don’t invest in your business, the people, and the process required to serve great products or offer great services. Regardless if those facts are untrue, it’s the perception your site radiates.
Have you been so busy that you have possibly forgotten about your website? If you need assistance with your website, you can always give us a call.
Have you recently updated your website and noticed an increase in traffic? Let us know in the comments below! And, leave us a link- we would love to see your new website!