Do I really need a new website or can I just make some modifications to the existing website?
Well, it depends.
I’m not going to sell you a new website unless you absolutely need it. The general timeframe for a business to need a new website is every 3-7 years.
It’s about the same timeframe that you need an updated laptop or smartphone. Within 3-7 years, technology and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) algorithms change enough for it to become necessary to invest the money on a new website.
So, how do you know within that 3-7 years timeframe you need a new website?
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A website should have a responsive design.
This is the biggest indicator as it is absolutely necessary to have this as part of your website design. Responsive design is a term used to indicate that a website is mobile-friendly to both smartphones and tablets.
When viewing a website on a mobile device, a user should not have to zoom into the website.
It should display quickly in an easy-to-read format designed specifically for the mobile device. With 77% of all Americans owning a smartphone according to Pew Research Center, it is important for your website to display on smartphones.
Additionally, According to data released by StatCounter, 51.3% of all web visits in November 2016 came from mobile devices compared to 48.7% of visits from traditional computing platforms.
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You like your competitors’ websites better.
If your competitor has a beautiful responsive website that you like better than yours, it is time to look into building a new website.
A website is designed to share information, tell a story, keep the customer on the page, and most importantly generate leads for your business.
If you notice your competition starting to grow and your business leads are starting to slow down, it’s time to take a look at your business strategy and what you need to add and redo with your website to increase traffic, leads, and most importantly sales.
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Your website is all text and no graphics or images
If you or your designer did not invest and budget in graphics or images, now is the time to make the investment.
Good graphics and appealing images go a long ways.
Most users spend less than 5 seconds on a webpage. You have 5 seconds to make a great first impression and to appeal to the user.
In that time a user looks at:
- What is the site about?
- Does it capture my interest?
- What am I supposed to do or where can I click to find out more?
Basic text with a little color will not grab that interest. Users expect color and a photo story to go along with the information they are seeking.
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You are not getting many responses on your website
What is the websites most import job?
It is to create leads and customers.
If you are not getting many hits on your website or you are not displaying well in the google search results, then your website needs a facelift.
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Your website is slow to load
If your website is slow to load, then your graphics are too large, your web hosting provider is not giving you enough bandwidth or your theme and code is out of date.
It is the perfect time to switch to a higher speed web hosting provider and find up to date powerful theme.
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Your website design looks old and outdated
If your website has colored banners that go down the sides or looks like it is on paper, it’s time to update your website.
If you are unsure if your website is out of date, check your competitors’ websites or any web designer’s website for the newest trends.
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Your website is difficult and costly to make minor changes
If your website was built using WordPress, with a little self-training it is easy to make modifications and add new info to your webpages.
If you ask your web designer to update the webpage with some new information or a new employee to be listed and it is costly because they are hard coding HTML, then it is time to look for a web designer who uses WordPress, the most widely used web design platform.
WordPress is the most widely used website platform and used by over 25% of websites on the internet.
It is by far the largest website content management system available, which makes it powerful, sustainable, and well documented.
Looking for a new website? Contact us today for a free one-hour consultation and a free quote.
