Is Your Website Getting Old?
Michelle Taylor, Business Development Executive
636-590-5979 | mtaylor@technologypartners.net
No matter when you launch your shiny new website, at some point it’s going to become dated. Whenever I talk with my web development team about a current client’s website, they 9 times out of 10 tell me right away the year it was made! The reasons why an old site sticks out like a sore thumb don't take a developer to spot-- you just have to know what to look for. Here are three ways my devs can tell if a website is out of date:
3 Ways to Tell Your Website Needs an Update:
1. Your URL is Not Secure
This is an easy one to spot. Look at the URL of your website. Does it have an “http” or an “https”? If it’s missing that little ‘s’ and the lock that comes with it, your site isn’t secure. As of July 2018, Google now marks http sites as “Not Secure.” That means most users are getting a giant “red flag” before they get to your website. This can make your site look risky to users, but even worse, it LOWERS your probability of being found through Google or any other major search engines.
2. Your Mobile Experience is Lacking
It amazes me how many of our customers assume people are NOT visiting a company's website via mobile phones! Think about it like this: if you have your URL link in your email signature, they will most likely be clicking it on their phone after they read your email. If people are standing around talking about your company, they will be Googling your website on their phones. You HAVE to assume they are visiting your site on their mobile devices.
TRY THIS: Go to your website on your phone. While it might be “mobile-friendly”, is it as polished as it is on your desktop browser?
Again, Google has a lot to say about this. Did you know that Google prioritizes search results based on the mobile version of your site? That means If it’s NOT a priority to you, then it is also not a priority in Google’s search results!
3. It’s Hard to Make Simple Changes
Technology has made it easier than ever for non-developers to affect changes on their own website. You may be on Wordpress or another CMS, but is it simple for you to do simple things on your site? How hard is it to make something that looks good quickly for you or one of your team members? Does each little change require a lot of web coding?
It’s 2019, technology has caught up! Make sure the back-end of your website was made for an everyday person to use, not just a website guru.
BONUS: Tracking Website Traffic
Yes, your website looks and works great, but do you have any idea who is using it and how? While it may not mean your website is out of date if you aren’t using analytics, you are missing out on some unbelievable insights.
Getting set up with analytics tools is easy, and even if you don’t quite know what to do with the data, you can start collecting it today. The earlier the better. As data becomes historical, you will start seeing major trends in your traffic. Learn where users are coming from or how long they spend on a particular page of your site.
Stay CURRENT on your site and your visitors impressed with your brand. Email me and I can help you figure out what you need to stay up to date!
