If you’ve been in business for awhile, you’ve probably been there…you meet a new contact or prospect, look them up online, and see they have a killer website. The website that has served you well over the past few years may be looking a bit stale by comparison, but is that a good enough reason to invest in a new one? Besides having a case of website envy, there’s lots of reasons why it may be time for a total remodel, and many of those reasons are about what’s “under the hood”. Appearance isn’t the only reason to justify an investment in an overhaul. So, what other clues should you look for?
1. If your WordPress site has old, unsupported themes and plugins that generate errors. Better WordPress theme frameworks make for more stable websites. I often help clients with sites that were built years ago with older themes, and usually with poorly supported plugins. While the site may have been great back in the day, over time it likely became difficult to update or possibly produced errors when rendered in a browser. Worse, a theme or plugin with no current support won’t be updated, and will present a security vulnerability at some point. A better strategy is to build with premium WordPress themes and plugins that offer ongoing updates and support, greatly extending the life and stability of your website.
2. If your site looks terrible on mobile. Mobile responsiveness is not a “nice to have”… it is a MUST. Google has been penalizing sites that are not mobile-friendly for some time. That trend continues with Google’s recently-announced “mobile-first” indexing. Bottom-line is that it REALLY matters how you show up on mobile devices. Older sites just won’t cut it.
3. If your site has narrow dimensions and small, plain fonts. The aesthetic of websites has changed radically over the past 5 years. Expansive, full-width dimensions, lots of “whitespace” and larger, elegant typography is now the norm. This helps readability on today’s larger monitors as well as on mobile devices. New font options can also better match your offline branding. In short, a website with small screen space simply looks dated.
4. If your site lacks the latest lead-capture and social media sharing features. Marketing online has never been easier with all the WordPress friendly tools out there for gathering leads and social sharing. A customized contact form, an attractive opt-in form and social sharing links enables visitors to learn more about you and opens a conversation.
5. Does your site signal to prospects that you care about keeping current in your field? This is more important than you think, as first impressions matter. If your website looks dated or worse, doesn’t load correctly, it will leave bad impression, just like a physical storefront that isn’t maintained. This is especially important in fields where up-to-date knowledge is critical, like health care or finance. A modern-looking website simply says that you care about staying on top of news and trends, reinforcing your professionalism.
So, if your case of “website envy” hasn’t yet subsided, I can help. Contact me today and we’ll discuss options.