Your website is the online face of your business. It’s often the first point of contact for customers, and therefore your opportunity to make a lasting first impression. Think of your website like your car. Without it, navigating your daily life would likely be much more difficult. And, to keep it running well it needs regular attention and servicing. Today, investing in your website should be one of your top business priorities. A well-managed website will contribute enormously to the success of your business or brand.
With the online world changing rapidly, it can be hard to keep up. You don’t just need a website anymore, you need an easy to find, user friendly, well-designed platform that both represents your brand and what it stands for, and ensures a seamless customer journey.
It can be hard to know if your website needs attention. There are many different things that the experts look for, however here are a few questions you can ask yourself to get started;
When was the last time it was updated?
Your website obviously needs to be regularly updated in terms of content, but also the back end systems, to keep it running efficiently. Content updates depend on the nature of your brand or business, but remember when it comes to search engine ranking, Google loves websites that are updated regularly.
Back end website systems like wordpress themes, google map API keys etc. need regular love and attention from an expert to keep it all running smoothly, don’t neglect the parts you can’t necessarily see.
Is the content easy to understand and relevant?
Can people understand what you do in the first 10 seconds of their visit to the website? Does the content actually represent your brand today? It seems like a no brainer, but if your content hasn’t been updated regularly it can quickly become outdated or hard to follow.
Is your website responsive?
Do a quick check on www.responsinator.com and see how your website responds on different devices. This is critical as mobile usage accounts for approximately 50% of the web traffic worldwide. Can people view and use your website on their mobile or tablet?
Are your search engine rankings where they should be?
Search engine algorithms are changing frequently, however there are a few things that will always contribute to your ranking. Content is key. Having relevant, quality, regularly updated content on your site will immensely help with Google’s ability to find and rank your website. This is why blogs form such an important part of websites today. If your website isn’t ranking where you think it should on search engines, updating the content and or/platform can definitely help.
Do you have a high bounce rate?
Are you getting lots of visitors to your site each month, but they aren’t staying long enough to get to know your brand and convert? This could mean the visitors either aren’t finding what they need or are finding your website too hard to navigate. There are several ways we can ensure your website is user friendly and start converting those visitors to sales or leads.
Is your website loading slowly?
It is absolutely imperative that you have a fast-loading website. Consumers are impatient. It’s 2021, we expect websites to load quickly and will often just give up if they don’t. Load times also have an impact on search engine rankings. A simple way to check is using Google’s page speed tool. This tool will give you a score between 1 – 100, taking into account a multitude of factors. If your ranking is below 90%, it’s time to look at why.
Are there sections with errors?
Are there pages on your website that contain errors, the links don’t work or you are seeing 404 errors? This is not a good look, and doesn’t leave a good first impression with potential customers. It can also be a sign that your theme or website platform is outdated and in need of an update or overhaul.
Is it difficult and time consuming to make website updates?
Time and time again, we see clients that want to avoid the time and cost of a full website update or overhaul and want to continue making updates to their current site. Sometimes, this is a simple and cost-effective solution that can give your website a much-needed refresh. However, with old and outdated platforms and systems, more often than not it will take more time and money to update your current site. Newer management systems like WordPress provide a much simpler platform to edit and give the website owner much more flexibility.
Thinking it might be time for a website facelift? We can help! At Baker Street, we research, plan, design and launch our client’s website entirely in house, using our team of experts. Get in touch today to see what a new website could do for your business.