5 Reasons to Update Your Website

Did you know that it's recommended to update your website every 2-3 years? That's what it takes to stay current with website trends and technologies. Have you ever looked at a website that looks old and outdated, so you decided to make a purchase elsewhere? Don't let that happen to your business. It's important to make sure that your website's content is kept up-to-date so potential & existing customers will have confidence in your business.

Here's are the top reasons why it's important to update your website regularly (and don't worry, we can help you make updates:

Outdated Look & Code | The internet and digital marketing is continuously evolving and changing. New technologies and standards are constantly being introduced. A website that was on-trend in 2016, make not be so trendy today. Additionally, a site with outdated code can also slow down your website's loading speed, or possibly not load in certain web browsers or on certain devices at all (read more in mobile-friendly section below). Since a website is often times the first thing clients see, having an outdated one doesn't provide potential clients with much confidence in your brand. They may question if you're still in business and look elsewhere.

Mobile-Friendly Website | If you haven't noticed yet, smartphones are taking over the world. Today, 60% of website traffic is through mobile devices. So it's important that you are keeping up with the latest css code. These codes allow your website to adapt to mobile devices and create a better user experience. By optimizing your mobile-friendly website, your business will look modern. Also, more customers can be reached since you won't be limiting yourself to customers who use desktops only. Mobile-friendly websites allow for users to view your website on both their phones and tablets.

SEO | Search engines love fresh content. Why do you think a lot of businesses (like us!) have a blog? It's one of the best ways to get fresh content on the web and drive more traffic to your website. Every time you make an update to your site, search engines (like Google or Bing) crawl internet and index your pages. This recalculates your site ranking. So make sure to keep updating your site with good quality content for better traffic.

High Bounce Rate | Have you ever tried to access a page and got bounced right off of it? Big problem, right? You’re losing leads and potential clients. If you have a high bounce rate, something's wrong. It could be the content, the navigation, or overall look/feel of the website- either way, it's not good. On average, a bounce rate between 40-60% is where you would like to be, depending on your industry. If yours is higher, it's time for some updates!

Higher Security Risk | Having your site hacked is something that can happen to anyone, whether their site is new or old. However, older websites rely on older technology and therefore chances of a security breach are higher. Having your website hacked could mean having your business' and your clients data compromised, as well as a potential decrease in leads and sales due to your site being shut down. Plus, you'd have to rebuilt your whole website, costing you a lot of time and money.

Remember: The internet is a continuously changing and evolving technology. It's important to stay up-to-date with digital trends for your business to thrive. By updating your website at least every 2-3 years, you'll be able to stay current with all of the design and technological trends, optimize traffic to your site, and have more confidence with security of your website. Be sure to allot a chunk of your marketing budget to website updates- it's a small investment that you will reap great rewards.

Reach out to see how we can help with your website updates today: kate@sullivanmarketingco.com