Web design best practices continue to evolve at a rapid pace. Each year, new technologies are pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished by web designers. In addition, it’s crucial to keep pace with Google’s search algorithm updates to ensure your website is found by your audience. It should come as no surprise that if you haven’t built a new website in the last three years, your existing site is most likely outdated and not delivering the results you need.
If you haven’t updated your website in several years, you are most likely not maximizing your ability to:
If your website is more than three years old, you will most likely experience significant benefits from building a new website. Even if your website isn’t quite three years old, it may be time to consider building a new one. Below are 7 critical reasons why you may need a new website.
Web design trends are constantly changing, and a website that looked new and fresh four to five years ago may look old and outdated today. Your website is often the first impression people have of your business, and it’s crucial that you make the most of this opportunity to impress.
Most people form an opinion about your website within 50 milliseconds of opening it. Without a modern feel that is visually appealing, you’re unlikely to connect with your audience. In addition, outdated websites significantly reduce the level of trust that people place in a business. For these reasons, keeping an outdated website can have a devastating impact on your business.
Templated websites are appealing options for businesses with a limited marketing budget. While they may be an affordable way to establish an initial web presence, they aren’t an ideal long-term solution. Many templated websites are saddled with limitations which can negatively impact performance:
The restrictions imposed by a generic template cripple your ability to create a unique website that stands out from your competitors and effectively conveys your brand. They also limit your ability to provide the type of user experience necessary to keep visitors on your website and convert them into customers.
Building a new custom website will help you break free from these limitations so that you can maximize the results achieved. When you have a website that is truly tailored to the specific needs of your business and appeals to your target audience, it will significantly boost the ROI of your marketing efforts.
Most businesses evolve over time. This can take many forms, including:
While small changes in your business don’t necessarily warrant a new website, you may reach a point where your business has evolved significantly enough that your current website no longer meets your needs:
In all of these scenarios, you may need custom functionality to address the new needs of your business. Often, this cannot be accomplished without building a new website.
Local SEO is becoming an increasingly important tactic to help websites rank on the first page. Google offers a “local pack” near the top of the first page which lists several businesses providing relevant services in the searcher’s local area. For example, a Denver bike shop will want to appear in these business listings when someone searches for “bicycle repairs in Denver.”
Keep in mind that not all businesses require a strong local SEO presence. If you cater to a national audience, this might not apply to you. However, if you provide services or products to customers in a specific location, it’s crucial that your website is properly optimized for local search. While you don’t always need to build a new website to rank locally, it is often the most effective way to achieve this goal.
If your website needs a refresh, you may be tempted to simply rework your existing site to save money. However, you’ll be constrained by the functionality limitations of your current CMS. There are many potential reasons this might prevent you from getting what you need:
Reworking an existing website often provides an imperfect solution that limits your ability to effectively grow your business. When you build a new website, you’re free of these technical limitations and can instead design a custom solution that will scale with your business as it grows.
One of the most important purposes of your website is to convert visitors into new customers. This is accomplished by creating an effective user journey that guides individuals to your ultimate goal. You may want visitors to schedule a consultation, purchase a product, or take another action that helps grow your business.
A well-optimized user journey must contain several important elements:
While you may be able to improve your user journey within the constraints of your existing website, it is often more effective to start from scratch and build a custom web experience with this optimized journey in mind.
Website security has become increasingly important in recent years. Not only is this important to address from a user experience perspective, but it will also impact your SEO results. Google’s search algorithms now penalize websites which don’t utilize the more secure SSL (https) web browser/server connection.
With website hacks occurring every 39 seconds, it’s critical to have a secure website. If your existing website is built according to the latest security best practices, you are all set. If not, you will need to build a new website that provides the latest and most advanced security.
Your website is the most important component of your digital marketing strategy. It supports all of your other efforts and is the primary way you are able to convey your message to your audience. Therefore, it’s crucial that you take the steps necessary to build a website that most effectively addresses the specific goals of your business. Working with an experienced digital marketing agency allows you to design a highly customized website that helps you achieve your goals today and is scalable as your business grows over the next few years.
Webolutions has more than 27 years of experience building websites for businesses of all types and sizes. Based on the knowledge we’ve gained and the lessons we’ve learned from designing thousands of websites, we’ve developed our unique Websites Right Methodology™ which improves marketing performance and delivers the best results possible for your business.
We use a proprietary Enhanced WordPress Platform™ which allows us to implement a multitude of custom configurations that maximize the functionality of your CMS. This additional level of customization harnesses the full power of the WordPress platform, ensuring that your website can meet the needs of both your business and your audience.
It’s also important to continuously monitor the performance of your new website, and our Real-Time Performance Intelligence Dashboards™ will provide the robust data you need to make improvements over time. Our team will use this data to make ongoing recommendations that will help you get the most out of your website year after year.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Webolutions serves clients nationwide from our offices in Denver, Colorado.
For more than 27 years, we've worked with thousands (not an exaggeration!) of Denver-area and national business leaders to help them achieve their business goals. Are YOU ready to take your website and business to the next level? We're here to inspire you to thrive. Connect with Webolutions, Denver's leading web design and digital marketing agency, for your FREE consultation with a web development expert.
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