You paid to have a website designed when you first launched your business, and it served its purpose… for a while. If it’s been a decade or more since you last revamped your website, you should seriously consider an update.
“But why?” you ask, “We’re getting leads. Why fix what isn’t broken?”
The question is: How many more leads would you get if you had a cutting-edge website? How much more repeat business would you attract? You can’t know until you have one!
Here are a few solid arguments in favor of updating your startup’s website:
Your current site might be turning off mobile users
Given the ever-increasing number of people who visit websites from a mobile device, it’s more important than ever that your site be mobile-friendly.
But what does that mean?
It means that people don’t quickly exit your website from a mobile device because it’s difficult and frustrating to use.
Take a moment to visit your company’s website on your smartphone. Do all the navigation features and images appear correctly? Or do you have to scroll across and down to view the entire page? Is it easy or awkward to navigate?
Newer website designs and templates are responsive, meaning that they adapt to whatever device they’re being viewed on. Someone visiting your site from a phone or tablet might see a limited navigation bar, but it is easier to use and, therefore, more effective.
Related: Small Business Website Speed 101
Your business isn’t what it was 10 years ago
You’ve pivoted, changed focus and expanded what you do in the years since you first launched your company; why shouldn’t your website also evolve?
If you’ve had the same tired design all this time, an update can breathe new life into your brand and attract more new customers.
Also, first impressions are everything. If a visitor lands on your site and sees an outdated design, he or she may not want to spend money with you since clearly you haven’t invested money into your own brand. A new look can reduce your bounce rate.
It’s more affordable than it used to be
You might have spent $20,000 on a website a decade or more ago, but prices have come down drastically since then. With the advent of so many DIY website design tools and templates, you can spend just a few thousand dollars (or even much less if you don’t mind doing the legwork) to get a professional-looking website.
If you use WordPress (which is wonderful for letting you easily make changes to the web copy yourself), you can buy a theme for around $50, then have a web designer customize your unique look for just a few hundred dollars.
An investment in your website is an investment in your business
You’ve heard the phrase, “You’ve got to spend money to make money.”
Every dollar you put into your business is one that will net a return, and that includes your website.
So while you may be hesitant to pay for a new website design, consider that it will attract new visitors, entice them to buy from you, and give them a reason to keep coming back.
It shows that you care about your business enough to invest in a new look, and that is a subconscious signal to shoppers that they should trust you by purchasing from you.
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A refresh to your web copy could boost your SEO
It’s not just your design that needs to be updated. Your web copy (the stuff Google and other search engines use to determine where to place you in search results) should continually be updated to ensure you have the maximum optimization for your keywords.
Updating the copy also ensures that it most accurately conveys what your company does and what it’s all about. If you’ve added or taken away products, it’s imperative that your web copy reflect your current offerings.
Refreshing your keywords will also ensure that search engines and consumers find you for terms you want to rank for. Keeping those keywords aligned with what people can find on your site ensures that once they click your link from search results, they stick around a while.
As an entrepreneur, every expense is one that should be well thought out. Investing in a website has so many benefits, it should be a no-brainer. It will provide a breath of fresh air for your brand, attract new visitors while getting old ones back, and be easy to access, no matter what the platform.
