6 Reasons Why You Should Update Your Business Website this Year
It is essential for small business owners to maintain a presence on the web. Many have a website created and assume they are all set to reap the rewards of being online.
What they don’t plan for is revisiting their website every so often to make updates for content or changes in technology and design.
In this article, we will review 6 reasons why you should update your business website this year.
1. Update website for mobile visitors
According to Statistica, accessing the web via a mobile device accounts for over half of web traffic worldwide. That means that your website needs to be optimized for mobile devices.
Each page of your site will show up differently depending on the device your visitor is using and thus your web designer needs to ensure that your site is properly configured to give those visitors a positive user experience when viewing your site on their phone or tablet.
2. Upgrade your website with multimedia
It is no secret that some of the best customer engagement rates found on websites and social media platforms are tied to the use of multimedia-based content. If there was one winner in 2020, it was probably video. With everyone online all the time, video became more crucial than ever for marketing and communication. According to Biteable, 60% of businesses use video as a marketing tool and 94% of marketers who use video plan to continue.
3. Update your website with search engine optimization
Valuable, relevant information on your site is the draw for your customers. You can have great articles, content, FAQ’s, blogs and product or service information, but if it’s not properly tagged and optimized, the search engines can’t find it, which means no one else can either.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through “organic” search engine results.
I recommend reading the following articles on SEO to give you more in-depth knowledge on the importance of having your website content properly handled for maximum reach to potential customers.
What is SEO and Why Do I Need It?
How SEO and Content Marketing Can Solve Business Problems
4. Content Review and Refresh
Updated, relevant content frames a trustworthy relationship with your customers and potential clients. It is extremely important to keep your content up to date as the content produced is what your clients have confidence in.
How often should you update your content? That depends on your content, but a good general rule would be to review your site content every 3 months or so to ensure it is current and relevant to your business.
5. Outdated Design or Themes
You may have a “cool” site design but what is not cool is outdated technologies and it’s functionality. As the digital world is constantly changing and updating, what was awesome today may not be so awesome tomorrow.
Current designs (or “themes” if you have a WordPress website) aimed at improving the visitor site experience and new technologies need to be considered regularly.
Has your company changed its approach, direction, product or service focus? If so, the driving force behind your website may not reflect your current business and requires an immediate update.
6. To be competitive
It’s likely most of your competition already has an established online presence. This means they have a current website and an active presence on suitable social platforms.
If you stop and think about it, when your business website is old (or you don’t have one at all), it probably raises some red flags in the eyes of current and potential customers.
Your website should be a reflection of your brand and help you attract the right customers. If you don’t have a decent digital presence in 2021, your brand will suffer and you will lose customers to your competition.
In conclusion, these are just some of the best reasons why you should update your business website on a regular basis. The cost of doing so is minimal compared with the very real possibility that your competitors are already doing so and will attract potential customers that could be yours.
