When does 'recent' become 'old' in the world of web design?
...Do you know when it's time for a major overhaul of your website, or even a minor website makover?
Why is it wrong to have a stagnant website? Are websites 'set it and forget it' modes of advertising? I think you already know the answer to these questions.
First, a little history...Travelling back in time I recall when I first decided to have a website created for our contracting business. It wasaround 1996 and I started seeing websites popping up on hard copy 'snail mail' and wanted to learn more. I recall my father, then the owner of our business, saying "It's an ego trip...there's no reason to have a website." But, I knew he was wrong.
And so, I started doing some research. There were very few local companies creating websites and it was a totally unknown entity to me. (Who knew then that some 20 years later I would be building websites myself?!) And, so, our new 5 page website was designed. The rest as "they" say is history.
I was impressed by our website. There were no colleagues in our local service are that had a website. We were pioneers. Our website existed in that format for about 7 or 8 years. Until I started to learm more and recognized that it was time for improvement. The website was re-designed, and now there were about 7 or 8 new pages, and sported a different look. The site was again stagnant, for about another few years. I thought it looked great, at least until I had an SEM (Search Engine Marketing) expert critique it in 2010. I learned that there was alot more to a website than having a graphic designer put it together. That's when I rolled up my sleeves and started to really learn.
And so, the site was totally re-written, by me, using techniques that I learned, and optimized for search engine optimization. By then, we had about 15 pages on our website.
Shortly thereafter, in 2011, I made a decision to migrate our website to a platform that would allow me to market, and since then our site has grown (including blog posts) to more than a 900+ pages site. Does that mean I'm content and will stop changing, improving and adding to our site? Absolutely not.
My experience tells me that the increases I've seen in business year over year substantiates the time and effort and paves the way for continual improvement. And this should apply to every website and every small business owner and corporation alike. If you have a website there is no doubt in my mind that it needs a makeover of some sort. Whether it's new copy on the Home Page, new Landing Pages, or a fresh color scheme, your website needs some TLC.
Because the internet is a moving target and algorithms are constantly changing as is the way prospective customers search, the small business owner has to be aware of trends. Or, at least have a marketing company on retainer to do the research or make suggestions. Re-visiting existing websitge pages and changing the content ever-so-slightly to make it more relevant can make a tremendous difference in page views.
So, perhaps you only need a mini website makover. You can entertain the idea of having a content creator re-write your existing content retaining the words on the page that have helped to build your page rank and organic search results. Or, have a new page created for your website every month highlighting a new service, creating a new offer, or creating and building a blog.
However you decide to approach it, consider a website makeover for your business. Don't let the grass grow under your feet...or your prospects hit the dreaded 'back button'.
Here are some blog posts I wrote previously that might interest you:
- Understand your company image and what you want to say.
- Figuring out what your website should look like
- Is your website easy to navigate?
Would love to hear your comments!
