Every business needs a website. It’s 2017, time to get with the program. Even if you think a website isn’t necessary you might be surprised at the number of people online currently searching for a business like yours.
Put simply, if you don’t have a website, or have one that’s outdated, you’re not maximizing your online potential.
Below we highlight five different questions you should ask yourself when you’re considering re-designing or upgrading your existing website.
1. Is Your Site Confusing?
Having a user friendly website is incredibly important. If your website is difficult to use, or it’s hard for visitors to find the information they’re looking for you’re doing your business a disservice.
Your website is your first chance to make a first impression. If your current first impression has visitors scrambling for the back button, then you have a problem you need to fix.
Your website should be built to serve your customers and in turn support your business.
2. Do You Have a Responsive Site?
Mobile is quickly becoming a huge source of traffic for a lot of business owners. If your site doesn’t look good on a mobile screen, then you’re losing out on this traffic.
Having a responsive website is the new standard. Sometimes it can be difficult to morph your existing site into a responsive site and you’ll have to scrap your site for something new. However, this investment will be well worth it as your site will be primed for the future.
Your new site will be an asset for your business, not just a virtual business card that erodes credibility.
3. Does Your Site Take a Long Time to Load?
Loading speed not only affects your user experience, but it’s a Google ranking factor too. This means that if your site loads slowly it’s not going to rank very high in the search engines. Which means less traffic and a decreased number of leads for your business.
There are a variety of ways you can speed up your existing site, but sometimes the foundation will need to be rebuilt entirely. If that’s the case, then it’s time to call in a professional.
4. Are You Using an Outdated Technology?
A lot of older websites are built on technologies that are no longer viable. Certain technologies like Flash used to be the standard, but now they don’t function on mobile browsers.
Some older platforms also aren’t equipped to help your site grow or rank. Platforms like WordPress can offer a great platform to build from and support your business as it grows its online footprint.
5. Is Your Site Losing You Customers?
This is a big one. Your site should exist to support your business and reach its goals. If it’s just sitting there taking up space and not generating leads for your business, then you have some room for improvement.
There are all kinds of things you can do to both improve user experience, and turn this traffic into customers via email marketing and other means. Your site should be a lean, mean, lead generating machine.
If you’re looking to take your online presence to the next level, then reach out of our Jacksonville web design team today.
Image via Carl Heyerdahl
