Do you love your site? If you answered no, then keep reading.

A website serves a distinct purpose for your brand and your business – marketing it. A website is a powerful tool that needs to be used advantageously for your business. Your website should promote your work, tell potential clients why they should work with you, and, ultimately, land the sale.

I’ve already told you why websites are important and how they can help you grow your business. What I haven’t told you is why it’s important to keep your website updated. If you still aren’t 100% sure if your website needs a new do – check out these top 10 reasons why your website might be ready for an update.

Your website isn’t visually appealing

Depending on when you last revamped your website, your visuals could be outdated, out of style, or just clunky in general. Website years are similar to dog years. A website designed even one or two years ago can look extremely untrendy today. #sorrynotsorry

 Staying on top of what works for websites is a sure-fire way to capture visitors and convert them into clients. Make sure you follow and keep up with the design trends of the day. Remember, you have competitors who are doing the same. An old-outdated website probably won’t help your brand stand out from the crowd.

Your brand isn’t reflected

Even small changes to your branding need to be updated on your website. If you’ve changed your photography or images, colors, or any other aesthetic elements on your webpage, you need to update it! I talk more about why your website images are just as important as your design here. We all evolve in our business and in our brand. It’s inevitable. You just need to make sure your website reflects this change accordingly!

You are attracting the wrong clients

Entrepreneurship means you wear many hats in your business. It also means that you pivot in your business, A LOT. What services or products you offered one year or two years ago may not be the same services or products you offer today. If you don’t update your website with this information, you are going to be getting inquiries for the wrong thing! This goes with blog content, too. Make sure all your website content reflects where you are in your business today.

Always remember that you need to market yourself correctly by creating a website that is consistent with what you are offering.

Outdated themes or technologies

If your website was built over two years ago, you might want to look at its functionality and coding. Out-dated coding can make your site clunky, cause it to malfunction and potentially give your visitor an annoying experience. It’s all about your website visitors. They should be having a great user experience as they navigate through your site. This doesn’t always happen when your website tech isn’t updated. Make sure your website is compatible with the latest browser updates.

Not Mobile Friendly

Having a mobile-friendly website is so important nowadays! I mention this all the time to my clients and on my blog posts. Over 80% of people access websites from their phones today. Please don’t lose out on visitors just because your website isn’t optimized for your mobile phones or similar devices. It pays off tenfold to keep this updated. I recommend setting a scheduled “check-in” day at least once a month to just hop on your website via your phone and make sure all of your links, menus, and navigation settings are good to go.

High bounce rate

Your bounce rate has everything to do with your UX/UI design. I would even argue your content can be a direct cause for bounce rates, too. So make sure these are both updated! If your website doesn’t catch your visitor’s attention right away or your words don’t capture their interest, they are highly likely to bounce right off your site. Make sure all the technologies running your website are running optimally – especially your loading time.

Slow loading time

If you’ve been living in the 21st century, you already know that time is of the essence. We don’t have enough time in the day to get #allthethings done. That means that website speeds or website loading times need to be super fast! Slow speeds are why websites have a high bounce rate. So it’s essential to make sure your website is updated and not bogged down with outdated apps, plugins, and other things that slow it down. 

Security 

You want to make sure that your users are 100% safe when they visit your site or whenever they are asked to enter their details anywhere on your page. Making sure your security is up to date will reduce hacking opportunities and spam. Nobody likes spam or hackers. You (and your website) need to keep up with the newest data protection software to protect yourself and your website visitors ALWAYS. Please don’t slack on this one!

Search Engine Optimization

Make sure you keep up to date with Google’s search engine algorithms. Major changes happen about once a year, while smaller changes happen at any time. Refreshing and updating your website is important because old technology often hinders these new changes. This also includes making sure your web content is up to date with the latest algorithm changes. Don’t fall behind your competitors because of your content quality and old technology. 

Keeping up with plugins

Integrations like plugins and apps are great ways to show visitors how high performing your website can be. These integrations include Google Analytics, Social Media plugins, payment platforms, with more and more popping up every year. Your website add ons need to be up to date. You might not have a choice since some require the most up to date versions of your site to work anyways. Just stay on top of them!

Final Words

Remember that security, content, and SEO updates should be conducted monthly. Stay on top of your website’s safety (both for yourself and your visitors). You want your website to be up to date, appealing, and fresh so your visitors.

Was this post helpful? I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch if you have questions about your website, branding, or any design elements for your business!