5 Ways To Improve Your Website Update
Is It Time to Consider Website Update Services?
A website update can help improve the digital face of your business. Quite often, your website is the first interaction a potential customer has with your brand.
If you feel like your website has started looking a little tired and dated, we have news for you. Your customers probably think so too.
According to HubSpot, 50% of consumers believe that website design is crucial to a business’s overall brand. It may be what’s on the inside that counts, but as far as your digital marketing strategy goes, looks definitely matter.
Lucky for you, it’s possible to freshen up your website without committing to the time and money necessitated by a complete overhaul. We’re going to share 5 things you can do to improve your website update, and why you should do it.
Why Should You Update Your Website?
There are many reasons to consider updating your website periodically.
Your Business Has Changed
Maybe the website you paid for 5 years ago was great, but your business has grown. Do you offer new services? Has your team expanded and added new talent? A website update may be necessary to reflect you ongoing success, otherwise, you could be missing out on new business!
Your Website Is Old
There’s also the possibility that your website is just plain dated. It happens to the best of us! Web design evolves, and just like the world of fashion, certain trends that were “all the rage” a few years ago can now look dated. You want customers to consider you an expert in your field. It’s hard to communicate that professionalism if your website looks like a dinosaur. It leads people to wonder what else haven’t you kept up to date?
Your Brand Has Evolved
Over time, with changes to your business and customers, your website may no longer represent your brand. Maybe you’ve inherited a family business and taken it to new markets. Maybe your clientele has shifted from middle-aged skilled tradesmen to millennial techies. Brands grow and evolve. A website update should reflect who you are and what you do right now.
Website Update vs. Site Rebuild?
In most instances you can update a lot about your website through a simple website update or refresh… with a few exceptions.
If your original website was built in the 90s’ with little to no updating since… you’re probably out of luck. Too much has changed on the Internet since then, and your old school website could be holding you back from doing well on Google. It’s hard to implement a solid SEO strategy if the technical infrastructure isn’t there. You may need a complete site rebuild to get the most out of your digital marketing.
If your website isn’t working and can’t accomplish the basics, you have a bigger issue on your hands. Your website should be functional, bug free, and well structured. If those standard elements are lacking, then there’s no point in sprucing up the aesthetics. In most cases, fixing a broken website is more difficult than just starting from scratch.
5 Ways To Freshen Up Your Website
If your website has the basics covered then we can move on to sprucing up the experience for your users!
Here are 5 ways to support your website update and create a browsing experience your customers will love.
1. Update Your Branding
Sometimes all you need is a little facelift. Consider your brand and the personality you want to communicate. Now assess your current logo, colours, and typeface. Don’t worry if you’re not a branding expert! This might be the point where you hire a consultant or brand strategist to make some suggestions. Either way, updating these visual elements can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your website.
Make sure your colours are eye-catching without being too busy. Select fonts that are clean and easy to read while communicating a webpage’s message hierarchy. Ensure CTAs (calls-to-action) are clear and accessible. Also, keep your chosen elements consistent across all your site pages. Finally, leave enough whitespace so that your website looks tidy and uncluttered.
2. Add Original Visual Content
Stock imagery is great, for a while, but nothing beats high-quality original imagery. If you have room in your budget consider hiring a professional photographer or videographer to update your website’s visual assets.
Plan your shots with purpose to get the most bang for your buck. Think about where you want these images displayed and what kind of shots best suit that placement.
Looking for a larger image for your homepage? A landscape orientation will probably work best. Hoping to make it even more exciting? Consider an embedded video for added movement and interest.
Create a lasting impression by curating your original photography to communicate your brand in the most genuine way possible.
3. Streamline The Navigation
Think about the user experience of your website and how you want visitors to use it. Are certain pages more important than others? Could some be combined during your website update to make things easier? Consider streamlining your website navigation to make it more intuitive and to make these big-ticket items easy to find. That could mean adding a contact button to your top navigation or condensing your menu bar to feature the most important pages on your website.
Clutter means it’s easier to get lost. Help your website visitors find what they’re looking for in the shortest time and with the fewest clicks possible. Not only does that make for a more pleasant browsing experience, but it could mean higher conversion rates for your business too!
4. Dabble With Animation
If you feel like getting fancy, you could try implementing animation or interactive elements on your website. Now this doesn’t mean your website should resemble a theme park. You want to be selective here. Fade in images, or elements that change when you hover over them are all examples of animations that can enhance user experience without getting too distracting.
You want to use your best judgement here. Not all businesses need or are suited to hyper tech-forward web elements. Think about what might enhance a user’s impression of your website and what suits your business. For more detail we recommend checking out this guide on Medium to learn more about adding animation to your website design.
5. Make It Visual
Images, video, and infographics are great to include in your website update and will always be more engaging than a block of text. Assess your website and look for opportunities to visualize data.
Got some impressive statistics? Consider creating a graph (or animation) to display the information in a visually appealing way. Have a product or service that needs some explanation? An embedded optimized video is a great way to demonstrate its use – and keep users on your website for longer!
Testimonials are another great way to build brand trust. According to Big Commerce, 92% of customers refer to online reviews before making a purchase. Showcase those glowing reviews with scrolling text cards, customer images, or (if you can swing it) short videos of real customers singing your praises!
Finally, take a look at your website on a mobile device and make sure it’s every bit as fabulous as it is on desktop. The majority of users browse the Internet on mobile, so if your website is not mobile optimized you could be sabotaging your design and digital marketing efforts.
Ready to Consider A Website Update?
Contact our SEO team or call our office at 1-888-262-6687 to set up a consultation or to learn more about website update options! Our band of website design experts would be happy to conduct a website technical audit and help you come up with a website refresh plan to suit your needs and budget.
You can also reach us by email.
