As a Small Business Owner, we understand that maintaining your Business’s Website can be difficult. Not only do you have to deal with customers, staff rosters and payments, but you’re also expected to manage your Website and be active on Social Media! Sometimes it can all be just too much!
As a result of neglect, your Website can significantly start to suffer and even, in some cases, completely deteriorate. While this might not seem all that important when you’ve got a million other things on your mind, neglecting your Website can have a seriously adverse impact on your business.
With an increasing focus on all things digital, customers expect businesses to have current, up-to-date sites at all times. They are constantly looking for fresh content to consume and new products and services that grab their attention.
If your Website contains old content, a logo that looks like it was created in the 70s and lacks basic usability features, it’s a sure sign that the grim reaper’s come calling. But though it might be tempting to throw up your hands and give up completely, don’t despair!
In this blog, we’ll go through the ins and outs of how you can raise your lacklustre Website from the dead and inject new life back into your Online Presence!
Signs your Website Might be on its Deathbed
Signs your Website Might be on its Deathbed
Before we jump in, we’re going to take a look at some of the sure signs that your Website needs an overhaul. If you answer yes to a few or even one of these points, then it’s really time you consider a redesign.
- Your Website information is old, inaccurate or no longer relevant
- Your design looks outdated and ugly
- Your content is out-of-date and uninteresting
- Your site isn’t responsive
- There’s no Call to Action to prompt your potential customers
- Load times are slow and usability is poor
- Your Social Media features are not linked to your Website
- There are page errors and dysfunctional links throughout your Website
Now that you’ve taken stock, you may have realised that it’s high time to shake off the cobwebs and give your Website the love and attention it deserves. So here are our tips for getting your Website back on track!
Ensure Your Information is Correct
Ensure Your Information is Correct
Having accurate, up-to-date content is the best place to start when doing a Website overhaul. It is absolutely vital to offer your browsers correct information about your services, products and your business in order to maintain trust and a level of professionalism.
Inaccurate information, including incorrect opening hours, contact information, prices or product information, all cast a poor image over your Business. It illustrates to visitors that you lack an eye for detail, or perhaps are even lazy when it comes to your own Business – and no one wants that! It also seriously effects your status as an authority in your industry, making you appear much less productive and competent than your competitors.
As soon as your inventory, Business Information or objectives change, then you need to up-date your Site’s information. Having completely accurate information helps to strengthen the trust between you and your customer and increases your credibility as a reliable Business.
Update Your Content Regularly
Update Your Content Regularly
In the modern Digital World, customers are able to view and access new content with a few mere clicks. It is for this reason that it’s so important for you to be constantly providing fresh, updated and interesting content that appeals to your target market.
Unfortunately, new content doesn’t mean only a single blog post once every month. Ideally, you should be posting on your blog at least a couple of times a week to provide fresh, engaging content. Similarly, your Social Media really should be updated on a daily basis, whether that be your Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest accounts.
If you’re content is stale, boring or mundane in any way, you’re essentially digging your own grave. With so much amazing and interesting content out there, it’s easy for a visitor to simply click over to a competitor’s Website if you’re not providing the goods.
If updating your content so frequently all seems like too much, it can be a smart move to consider hiring a professional Copywriter to do the hard yards for you. This will take a lot of time and stress out of the process, while giving you peace of mind that all your Digital Content is always fresh, interesting and relevant. This will not only attract customers to your Website, but will also help to establish yourself as an authority in your field.
Give Your Website a Facelift
Give Your Website a Facelift
When it comes to design, something that looks old, outdated and even ugly, just doesn’t cut it in the Online World anymore.
Your Website, particularly your Homepage, is essentially the shopfront of your business. If it looks aesthetically unappealing then customers will be immediately put off and, worse, patron one of your competitors instead. While you may not think an unattractive website can do that much damage, think again. A staggering 38% of consumers will immediately stop engaging with content that is visually unappealing.
Nowadays, beautifully designed and visually compelling Websites are everywhere. To stay ahead of the competition, you need to ensure your Website is presenting your Business to the very best of its ability. The best way to do this is to hire a professional Graphic Designer who is experienced in bringing stale, drab site’s back from the brink. They can redesign everything from your logo and graphics, to product images and your Website color scheme, which will ultimately boost Branding and help you stand out from the crowd!
Consider the Customer Usability Experience
Consider the Customer Usability Experience
When it comes to breathing life back into your Website, customer experience should most definitely be a consideration. If your Website hasn’t had an overhaul for a year or two, then chances are it is providing a potentially sub-par User Experience.
First and foremost, page loading times should be addressed. Given that we live in the world of instant information, customers are used to accessing information within milliseconds. Slow loading times make for a frustrating User Experience and, if it’s really bad, your potential customers are likely to give up altogether!
This means that having quick page load times is absolutely vital when it comes to maintaining customer attention and encouraging them to stay on your Website to purchase your products or services.
Having a responsive Site is another key way to provide an optimum User Experience. With IPhone and tablet browsing now being ubiquitous, it’s necessary to have a Website that scales according to the device its being viewed on. Fail to do this and your visitors will be greeted with a page that’s oddly formatted and confusing. Once they’ve seen this, there’s almost no chance of them hanging around on your Site for much longer.
Optimize for Success Using SEO
Optimize for Success Using SEO
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is perhaps one of the best ways to ensure your beautifully refreshed and revived Website gets in front of your target market. SEO is essentially the process of getting organic, or free, traffic directed to your Website via Search Engine results.
A well-optimized Website will include certain keywords that have been skilfully placed throughout the content to make it more appealing to Search Engines, such as Google. This means that when potential customers are searching for these keywords, you’ll show up higher in the search results, and thus be more likely to attract their attention online.
The best way to utilize SEO is by engaging an expert. While the technique can be achieved without one, SEO in itself is a complicated art that is achieved best by professionals. Here at Sites n Stores, our trained SEO experts tailor-make your campaign to ensure it’s working to the best of its ability for your specific needs and business objectives. They will also ensure the keywords are constantly updated according to your target market and the ever-changing Google algorithm.
Once you have got your Website back up and running and looking its best, SEO is a great way to help you attract more customers. And best of all, you’ll be making a great first impression with a beautiful, fresh and exciting new Website!
So, if your Website looks as though it’s been given the kiss of death, don’t give up too quickly. There are plenty of ways to breathe new life into your Website that will see your customers returning time and time again.
