Signs you need to revamp your website

Most websites start out appearing great and better than the competition but as business takes off the website normally gets forgotten. The content soon becomes out of date and features that were in fashion start to make the website look dated. Because of how quickly trends in web design change, we  recommend that a website is given some attention at least once a year. This doesn’t have to be a complete revamp, but updating content and changing images is a must.

Some significant signs that you should revamp your website:

• Outdated photos: Some websites start off with stock images, or photos that were relevant at the time the website was made. A picture says a thousand words so your images should reflect the very latest and best work that you do.
• Boxy: Many of the older websites created 3 – 5 years ago were created when the layout trend was to box all content in a central container. There are now more interesting layouts that better show off content. Your content is what will convert your visitors in to customers. It is important to display it for best impact.
• Colour Pallets: Colours are another key aspect of design but sadly they also move with fashion. Sometimes a website design can be really good but use the wrong colours. It’s important to keep an eye on colours that are in fashion in your industry and revamp your website to keep up.
• Inactive or age old practice of Search Engine Optimization: If your SEO strategy includes keyword stuffing, making the website hard to read then content needs to be adjusted. Your content should include keywords but they should be placed naturally and pass the Flesch reading ease test. Your content is what will keep visitors active on your website. If it is hard to read, unnatural or contains little useful information it should be rewritten.
• Having rusty code: While the the code that delivers your website to your visitors may be unseen, it is arguably one of the most important factors for website speed and SEO. For example, new responsive websites pass the Google mobile test and get better exposure on search engines. Websites with optimised scripts, CSS and clean code load quicker and perform better. If the code is over 5 years, then it is high time to revamp your website.
• Still displaying old offerings: It is a known fact that offers and promotions change with time. Most offers on websites include either a cut off date or the date it was added. If this is never removed then visitors will very quickly move away from your website to find more relevent and up to date content. A website like this would need to be revamped thoroughly, so that it can show the targeted audience the latest offers that they would be interested in and to be ahead in its goals and reach its objectives, easily and without any hassle.
• Moving beyond email: If the website owner still uses a Hotmail account or any other mail, they should consider a change to a personalised email. It’s still possible to hook up a domain based email address to gmail and outlook. Emails that contain the company name are much more professional and will help your audience to trust your brand.
• Jargon: Sometimes the content of a website has to use jargon and complicated words to describe the service. However, in most cases they don’t. If your content doesn’t tell your visitor what you offer in plain English then you need to revamp it. Your content should not only be displayed well, but read so that someone who has no knowledge on the subject can understand it. Clear concise content without jargon and waffle is key.
• Viewport: Technologies have changes and people use the internet on all kinds of devices, from small smart phones to large Mac screens and TVs. You need to be aware that your website will be interacted with in a range of ways and the content needs to be both readable and display well. There is nothing worse than having to use a magnifying glass to read content on a big screen, or the constant pinching and adjusting to view content on a mobile or tablet.

There are lots more examples of when you should look to revamp your website. Most people tend to think that a revamp means starting again. They also tend to look more at the aesthetics and not really pay attention to the quality of the content. A revamp can be as simple as updating the website content, images, SEO and colours. Little details matter.

Is your website performing as well as it could be? If you would like some help getting your website up to date and keeping it that way, you should get in touch.