Remember those websites flooded with clip art, tables, Flash, Iframes, buttons as images, scrolling text… *shudder*. Times have changed (thankfully) and websites are now sleeker and cleaner. Are you looking at your website and thinking it just feels old? Then it’s definitely time for a refresh. Website design is like fashion; trends change and what was hot in the world of web design a few years ago looks outdated now in 2022.
We recommend updating your website design every 2-5 years to impress your visitors, to keep up with advances in design and to stay ahead of your competitors.
If you’re looking for a web design agency to redesign or refresh your website, look no further. Giraffe Digital provides web design in Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas. Alongside this, we also offer additional services such as Giraffe Digital PPC services, blog writing and improving local search visibility in Milton Keynes and beyond.
In this blog, we will outline the reasons why having an old website can affect your revenue and why you should consider a website refresh.
1. It raises questions about the quality of your service
Simply put, having an outdated website makes it look like you don’t care. You’ll give the user a poor opinion of how you run your company. This instantly puts customers off as they will assume that you don’t invest in your business and thus won’t deliver a quality service.
If your website is really primitive, it can even look like you’re not in business anymore! Potential leads will also be concerned that your company is out of touch and doesn’t keep up with the times. This isn’t the impression you want to project. Your website should represent your business and something old-fashioned is not the image you want to present to the world.
2. Your competitors will have an edge over you.
You need your website to be modern and functional in order for it to be competitive especially if potential clients are comparing your site with rivals. If yours looks dated in comparison to your competitors, you need to think about changing it to gain an advantage. Sometimes the website is the first interaction a potential client has with your company.
A good website can make users feel more comfortable and confident in making a purchase. It’s a valuable tool for interacting with potential customers and creating brand awareness. Keeping it updated and fresh will generate more valuable leads and prevent you from losing your web traffic to competitors.
3. Visitors get a poor user experience
An archaic website not only gives a bad first impression but can also generate a poor user experience. It might be too slow, which will result in users abandoning the site before it’s even loaded. If your navigation is confusing or messy, customers won’t stick around for long. Broken links will cause frustration and again give the impression your company lets things slip and don’t care about quality.
As it ages, the technology on your website can start to feel outdated and clunky. If it is more than 5 years old it’s likely to be missing out on the technology that creates a strong user-friendly experience. User experience should be your priority.
4. You’re losing mobile or tablet users
The majority of people use their mobile to surf the internet. If your site is outdated, likely it isn’t very responsive on mobile too. This is the quickest way to lose traffic and sales. Your customers will be using their mobile devices and if they can’t interact with your website on their phone, they’ll find a competitor’s site instead where they can!
What’s more, Google will penalise your site for not being mobile-friendly, pushing you down in the rankings.
5. You don’t have the right content on your site
Being behind on the times means you’re likely missing key components that all modern websites have. This includes content such as blogs to show you’re an expert, testimonials to present credibility and social media integration to increase your brand reach. Having great content on your site, keeps users engaged for longer, gives them a reason to return and increases the chance of them converting into a customer.
6. Google won’t like your website
Google’s algorithm favours websites with fresh content and those that are mobile-friendly. These factors help you to appear on page 1. Your primitive website is likely to drop in rankings, meaning you’re losing more and more potential customers. You need to be doing everything you can to appear as high up as possible and a modern, fresh website that is SEO optimised will certainly help you in that goal.
Your website is a powerful marketing tool. When it’s executed well, it will convince people reading to become your customer. It’s a great investment. But we get it – you’re busy. If you don’t have time to update your website, we can do that for you.
Contact Giraffe if your website has lost its lustre. We are not limited to just website design, our digital services include PPC, blog writing social media marketing, Reporting and marketing automation and improving local search visibility in Milton Keynes to discuss your needs.
