Top 5 Reasons To Update Your Website

This website is so great, it will last forever!

Except it won’t.

A fresh new website update is like a fresh coat of paint for your business. Even if it’s a very crisp, clean aesthetic, that shine of a refresh really stands out.

That shine will last for a few months, maybe even a year or two if you’re lucky. Yet over time, that shine starts to wear off.

Walls get scuffed, dented, and dinged up. The property also changes – new fixtures, new furniture, and new artwork can all mean that things don’t look quite the same as they did.

Eventually it’s time for a change. You keep your property up to date because you’re proud of your home.

Update your website because you’re proud of your business.

So what are the top 5 reasons why you should update your website regularly?

Your business has changed

How often do you inquire about something you saw online only to have a business say “we don’t do that anymore or “we don’t carry that anymore”?

What about when a business is offering something new – how are new potential customers and clients supposed to know if that information isn’t prominently displayed online?

Don’t leave potential clients and customers guessing as to your services. As a business owner, listen when someone says “I heard you do……, but I didn’t see it listed on your website.” They’re using your website as the ultimate authority on your offerings, so make sure that it stays up to date.

Your industry has changed

Some industries are slow to change, yes, but others move quickly. Within a few short years or even a few short months, there may be major developments that change the core foundation of what you do.

The easiest way to make your website look dated is out-of-date copy that readers can recognize no longer resembles your industry. It’s like gesturing to a map of the Soviet Union – it’s just going to make you look dated.

Make sure that you’re not featuring outdated information on your website. A simple scan will tell you what needs to be changed, and just like a lot of the policies and procedures in your business, your site should be reviewed regularly to ensure that it’s still in good shape.

Your team has changed

If you have a growing team and have experienced frequent turnover, it can be hard to keep everyone in order on a website. If someone is only there for a short period of time, you may be hesitant to spend money on their headshots, or adding a bio etc.

Yet what happens when those team members are the face of your business? What if you could help customers and clients form a connection with the person who will greet them before they even approach you?

Your team is part of the human element of your business. Professional headshots are ideal, but it doesn’t take much to load in a short bio and an older headshot as a placeholder just to show someone’s role on a team and offer a little bit about them.

Not only does it make them feel more bonded to the rest of the team, but it truly puts a face on your business.

Your technology has changed

Some updates may not be noticeable at a first viewing, but can make a huge difference in terms of how your site gets noticed and how it performs.

Website coding changes regularly, and you may not encounter the back end of your website if you’re leaving the build and design to a trained professional. Yet updated code can improve load times on your website, which is something your visitors will definitely notice.

Plugins also update routinely. Using the most current versions of your third-party tech will help change the responsiveness of your site. Again, visitors may not notice integrations are programmed behind the scenes, but they notice when things are running better.

Your security needs may also change depending on the customer data that you’re handling. New threats come up all the time, and it’s important to stay vigilant. Routine updates to the site will help things as properly secure as possible – a move your visitors will definitely appreciate.

You want people to keep coming back

Some of the most informative website statistics are how many people visited your website, and how long they stayed there.

The logic to that second one is simple. Picture walking into what you thought might be a party, only to discover that it’s actually an empty room. If there’s nothing to see, you’re not going to stick around!

Give your visitors something new to discover every time if possible. Not only will they want to visit, but they’ll want to keep coming back to learn more.

Blogs, newsletters, articles, media coverage etc. can keep your readers informed, and it keeps them coming back for more.

Final Thoughts

So what are you waiting for? You take pride in your business – don’t let it become a virtual laughingstock. You’ve worked too hard to let things look dated, and it’s easily fixable.

Contact The Write Stuff Agency today to set up a free consultation.