To keep up with the constantly changing search landscape, it’s crucial that your website is as up-to-date as possible. You may not know it, but chances are your website needs an update.
“But I think my site is fine!” you may protest. “Are you sure?”
Um, yes. Sorry. Combing through your site in search of edits may elicit a series of groans from you or whoever is in charge of maintaining your site… especially when you don’t know what to look for. But now that Google has launched its most recent algorithm, it is more important than ever that your site is fresh, clutter-free and user-friendly, which will yield you more traffic and better search results in the long run. So we’re here to help! Here are five signs your website needs an update.
1). Your site is not mobile-friendly.
Start by checking to see if your site is mobile-friendly by taking this test. Google will not only tell you right away if your site is lacking in the mobile device formatting department but will show you exactly what your site looks like on a mobile device. If your site is not mobile-friendly, then get on it. Google’s new algorithm basically makes it a requirement for sites to be mobile-friendly if they want to rank in mobile search results. Doing otherwise can mean serious consequences for your search results.
2). Your site is between three and five years old.
That may not seem like very long, but the internet is constantly changing. After three years, it might be time to evaluate your SEO to make sure you’re being as effective as you can be. After all, design trends, user preferences and search words all evolve over time. What may be passable for you is not necessarily passable for your audience, which is also always evolving. Get an outside opinion on the look and feel of your site as well as an SEO evaluation for best results.
3). Your site doesn’t reflect your current brand.
To piggyback off of #2, your brand is probably not exactly what it was three to five years ago, either. Your focus may have shifted and it’s crucial that your site reflect that. Review your site content. If it’s dated or stale, you have broken/missing links and photos, or your logo doesn’t match the logo you have everywhere else, it’s time for a worthwhile comb through your website and possibly initiate an overall brand analysis.
4). Your site doesn’t show up in searches.
Has your site stopped bringing in leads? It could be because you’re ranking poorly (or not at all) in search listings… or Google has even banned you (yikes!). Try a quick Google search of your business’s keywords. If you’re not showing up, perform an SEO evaluation (or hire someone to analyze it for you) and take the steps necessary to get your site up to snuff. This will most likely require you to update stale or outdated content throughout your site.
5). Your site is slow/crashes easily.
Your daily uttering of “Ugh, our site is so slow,” is indicative of a much larger problem that needs to be fixed ASAP. If it takes ages for pages to load or for items to download you most likely have back-end issues that are slowing it down or causing it to crash frequently. This also means that your site visitors are experiencing this, too. Don’t lose users over this—it’s time for an update.
We get it—updating your website can be time-consuming and the last thing you want to worry about. But always keep in mind that your website is the crux of your online identity. A stale, unattractive, unsearchable website reflects poorly on your brand, no matter how amazing your business is. Spending a day or two analyzing and updating your website is a sound investment in your time and energy—and will yield unprecedented positive results for your business, both online and off.
