Behind every outdated website exists someone with a firm explanation of why the site is fine “as is.” Often the excuses for not updating a site are based on a basic misunderstanding of a website’s purpose. We’re here to dismantle four common reasons for not updating a website and reveal the misconceptions behind them.
Reason No. 1: It’s not an e-commerce website.
Many clients believe the website functions as “an overpriced yellow pages listing” if it’s not an e-commerce site, says our IT & Assets Manager Scott Miller. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Your site often creates the first impression for prospective customers learning about your company, services or products. Make it work for you. Consider a customer searching for a local plumber. First, he encounters an outdated website with confusing navigation and hard-to-find information. Second, he encounters an easy-to-read and updated website. Which business would you call?
Reason No. 2: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Your website may be functional but not practical for today’s customer. “People do not understand that Google algorithms are dictating page ranking, and that you simply have to stay up to date to be seen and succeed,” says Jim Kemble, our interactive developer. In 2016 alone, Google rolled out 16 algorithm updates, many of which focused on improving the overall customer experience. Unless your website was designed or updated with these changes in mind, chances are your website isn’t “fine” the way it is.
Reason No. 3: People don’t look for us on online.
While it’s possible your business garners most of its sales through word-of-mouth, it’s even more possible you’re missing out on reaching new customers by relying on that alone. Remember, some 60% of adults say they get news and information about local businesses by searching online, and 47% of those say they rely most on the Internet for that information. A high-quality website and SEO-friendly content can reach much farther than your previous customers while providing additional support to those relying on their word-of-mouth recommendations.
Reason No. 4: Most of our customers don’t use their phones, so mobile-responsiveness doesn’t matter.
Back this up with hard stats, and we’ll believe you. Otherwise, we’ll point to the fact that 77% of people own a smartphone, and mobile and tablet searches are outperforming desktop searches. Customers today live in a constant state of shopping and searching by looking up information whenever a question pops into their head. If your website isn’t mobile-responsive, it may not even show up in search results. If it does, it will likely frustrate users who don’t want to pinch-and-zoom to read information.
The importance and value of having a modern, service-rich website cannot be overstated. Whoever your customers may be, they’re looking for a business to meet them where they’re at in today’s user-friendly culture. Are you ready to jump in and meet them there?
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