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10 signs your website needs a refresh
Did you know that the shelf-life of a website is between 2-3 years? This means that websites built in 2020 are already looking dated. When it comes to your written content, your website is likely to date even quicker, as your business, products and messaging change.
An out-of-date website can damage customer confidence in your brand and send them looking for a competitor that appears more contemporary. So, how do you know when your website is looking dated, and what can you do about it?
Watch out for these 10 signs that your web design is out-of-date….
1. Your website no longer reflects your business
Businesses change and grow and if your website is lagging behind your business that’s an issue. Here are some of the classic signs that your website and business are out of sync:
- You offer products and services that aren’t on your website;
- Your opening or contact hours are different to those listed on your website;
- Your staff pages include people that no longer work for you or don’t include recent recruits.
- Your website colour scheme and identity no longer matches your latest branding.
How to fix: Regularly review your website’s content and ensure it reflects your current business. Following a growth-driven design approach to web design could help. The GDD approach means that rather than website design being a task-and-finish activity you continually review and update your site to ensure it remains relevant.
2. Your website is falling down organic search listings
One of the things that search engines like Google base their search rankings on is how often your website is updated. If your website isn’t being updated then it’s likely you’ll start to slip down search listings as search engines will prioritise newer content and websites that are regularly refreshed.
How to fix: Adding a business blog is a great way of regularly adding new content to your website. You should also ensure that your core site content is optimised for search engines (SEO) with relevant keywords in headings. Our Exeter copywriting team can help with updating your website’s written content.
3. Your website looks dated or old-fashioned
At the end of last year, we wrote about the web design trends to watch out for in 2022. These trends change quickly and if your website contains features that were considered contemporary as recently as 2019 or 2020 they probably look dated now. Fonts, images, design styles, animations and even layouts can all become dated and make your site look stale.
How to fix:
A web designer can take an expert look at your website and identify the elements that look dated and would benefit from a refresh. Our web design Exeter
team can update your website with contemporary styles and features for a seamless modern look.
4. Your website is slow to load
Slow-loading websites are a big problem for businesses. They’re a major ranking factor in Google’s 2021 core web vitals update and affect how your website will appear in search listings. They also impact customer experience – slow-loading websites cost UK retailers £1.73 billion a year in lost sales. Slow page load speeds also make your website feel clunky and outdated.
How to fix: There are several actions you or your web designer could take to improve page speeds including:
- Removing unnecessary third-party scripts;
- Upgrading your web hosting package;
- Removing any large page elements; and
- Setting up lazy loading.
5. You’re displaying old written content
Written content can quickly date a website. If your website is promoting events that have passed, you’re listing sales or promotions that have finished or you’re still displaying Christmas themed content in March then it’s clear your website is being neglected. Dates on a website are a big giveaway. If your website talks about your 2020 strategy and it’s 2022 then customers will notice.
How to fix: Try to write ‘evergreen’ content that isn’t too date-specific and regularly review your content to ensure it’s current.
6. Your website doesn’t display properly on mobile or tablet devices.
Over 50% of UK website traffic is on a mobile or tablet device. If your website doesn’t display correctly when viewed on these devices it’s going to look very dated and not fit-for-purpose. This can have a big impact on sales - 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing.
How to fix: Our web design Exeter team recommend following a mobile-first approach to website design. This ensures that your website will look great on a mobile or tablet device.
7. Your website is difficult to navigate
Complex, poorly structured websites can feel very dated. Unfortunately, difficult navigation often arises from the best of intentions. In an effort to incorporate new content, features or services, businesses often bolt-on pages and sub-pages to an existing structure in a way that makes navigation less user-friendly.
How to fix: Sometimes a full website refresh and re-structure is the only way of fixing poor navigation. Your revamped website should be planned out on a site structure that considers user navigation. Calls-to-action should be used to guide users through your website.
8. You have a high bounce rate
A high bounce rate in your analytics is an indication that users aren’t finding the content they want or expect. A bounce rate shows that someone is arriving at one of your web pages and then leaving straight away, and outdated content could be a major cause of this.
How to fix: Keep your users happy by updating and improving your content to ensure it meets their needs. Focus your efforts on the pages with the highest bounce rates and aim to answer any questions you think users may have.
9. Your website isn’t generating leads
Similar to bounce rates, a lack of leads from your website shows that users aren’t finding the information they need to contact you or buy from you. Out-of-date content can play a big part in this.
How to fix: Following a conversion rate optimisation strategy can help you to generate more leads. Our Exeter CRO agency team can audit your website and identify where you’re losing conversions and how to make improvements.
10. Your website isn’t linked to your social media
When it comes to your business’ online presence, social media is about as current as you can get. Businesses normally update their social media accounts weekly or even daily. If your website doesn’t include a social media feed it can make your website appear more static and out-of-date.
How to fix: Include a feed on your website from your social media accounts. Instagram and Twitter work particularly well for this and provide a regularly changing focal point for your homepage. If you decide not to include a feed, you should at least include social media links on your website.
Need some more help keeping your website current?
If you’re still unsure whether your website needs a refresh and how you can make improvements, check out these blog posts:
- Audit your website with our free checklist to test your website’s health
- 11 must-haves for every business website
- How to refresh your website with powerful new content
- Five signs that you need some help with your digital marketing
QuayClick can also help. Our web design Exeter team can review your website and create a contemporary new look and feel for your site with the latest features. Our Exeter copywriting experts can write engaging and compelling text for your website and use SEO best practices to help your website rank well with search engines. To find out more, contact us in Exeter today.
QUAY HOUSE
KINGS WHARF
EXETER | EX2 4AN
01392 793633
HELLO@QUAYCLICK.CO.UK
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We’re a website design and digital marketing agency based in Exeter. We help businesses grow online and have over 20 years of experience in Web Design. We offer several inbound strategies, including paid search and SEO. In addition, our content team can help with copywriting and email campaigns.