In the digital age, your business can’t survive without a website. But merely having a website isn’t enough. You’ll need to make certain your web design keeps up with the changing times. That means it’s not sufficient to rely on a site that was built in 2003 and hasn’t been updated since. Exactly how outdated is too outdated? These three signs will tell you that it’s time to invest in web design services, stat.
- Your newest content is from more than two years ago.
SEO strategies involve a number of techniques, but having new and fresh content is always going to be a priority if you want to rank well in Google search. You can’t expect to improve your web visibility if your most recent blog posts or pages were created in 2015. Even if your industry doesn’t change as rapidly as the internet does, you’ll still need to post consistently if you want to improve your SEO. Your web design needs regular refreshing, too. If the web design agency you used first created your site five years ago and you haven’t made any changes since, it’s high time to give your site a face lift. Even if everything still works, it’s time to replace certain elements and embrace 2019 trends. - You’re still relying on Flash or other archaic elements.
Google Chrome announced last fall that its newest update would make it more difficult for users to run Flash components, and Adobe has made it known that they’ll stop updating Flash itself by the end of 2020. It may have once been all the rage for web design services, but now it’s seen as antiquated and annoying. If your current website design is Flash-heavy, you’ll definitely want to fix that this year and embrace a whole new look for your site. Even if your site is on the newer side, it might still require an upgrade if your designer was really into trendy elements that haven’t stood the test of time. Large hero images and infinite scrolling were really huge more recently, but they’re starting to fall out of favor. Whether you’re still using a visitor counter or you’re worried that your most recent upgrade is actually too trendy for your own good, a website that looks like it’s stuck in the past won’t be able to entice clients in the future. - Your site isn’t optimized for mobile.
Each year, the average U.S. consumer spends approximately $1,800 on e-commerce transactions. And these days, the majority of those online shoppers are hitting the purchase button on devices other than their laptops and personal computers. With so many people relying on their smartphones and tablets to shop, connect, and find valuable information, you can’t afford to ignore mobile users. Unfortunately, many outdated designs do exactly that. A website that looks strange or is difficult to navigate on mobile devices will cause those users to abandon your site and look elsewhere for what they need. In 2019, it’s essential to have a responsive website design that’s consistent on every device. This can make the experience much more positive for all website visitors and help you improve your rankings, due to Google’s mobile first indexing move.
If any of these three signs sound familiar to you, you’ll need to work with a website design company with the knowledge and experience to provide a worthy makeover. To learn more about our web design services, please get in touch with us today.