At a time when having a website presence is more valuable than ever, it is vitally important to stay up to date on your website and evaluate it from time to time. I’ve often advised clients that a website redesign or refresh is generally recommended every 2-4 years… But now experts are saying that the life span of most sites is closer to that 2 year mark. According to Forbes (who cites Orbit Media) the average lifespan of a website is 2 years and 7 months. The main reason for this is that both technology and design evolve so quickly and are changing at a rapid pace.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of important items to help you determine if your website is really working for you?
1. Is your website mobile friendly?
Think with Google states that over 50% of all website traffic is now mobile. That means that at least 1 out of every 2 visitors to your website are viewing it on a phone or mobile device of some kind. With that in mind, how does the mobile version of your website stack up to the desktop experience and your competitors mobile presence? Not only should your website look and work great on mobile devices for the user experience, but Google indexes and ranks sites in large part to their mobile SEO setup, load times, and responsiveness. What that means is: if your website doesn’t look good, work correctly, and load fast on mobile devices Google significantly docks it in Search Engine rankings.
2. Is your website and brand / logo cohesive?
Having a nice looking website is one thing, but does your website perfectly integrate, illustrate and coincide with your branding? Having a new website but an outdated logo (or vice versa) confuses website users in a multitude of ways. A functional and beautiful website that seamlessly ties in with your logo and brand identity is crucial to your online success and the success of your company.
3. Is your website user-friendly?
With the way technology and online trends evolve, a pertinent question to ask: is my website user-friendly and easy to navigate? It may look decent, but are your users able to quickly and easily find the information that they’re searching for? If not, the website itself may be counter productive to your success and your business goals.
4. Does everything work correctly?
Your site may be functional and aesthetically pleasing, but does everything continuously work correctly? If not, it may be time for a website redesign or at the very least, a maintenance plan with a reputable web developer. Keeping features, plugins, themes and platforms, such as WordPress and PHP updated are highly important for the ongoing success of your website. An outdated plugin can lead to features such as social media feeds breaking or events calendars not displaying correctly. In addition not updating your site on a consistent schedule can cause issues with security and malware as well.
5. Are you using Analytics software and staying on top of your traffic?
One easy and efficient way to tell how you are getting website traffic, from where, and how engaged that traffic is on your website is by using Analytics tools and software. Does your website have software such as Google Analytics installed and integrated? Are you using your analytics monthly to determine how well your website is doing? If not, then you should be. Google Analytics is free, it automatically collects data and formats that data in a useful way to show you where your website visitors are coming from, how long they’re staying on your site, and how engaged they are.
6. Is your website elevating your call to action?
Ask yourself what your website’s primary goal is and then determine if your website is achieving that goal? Is your website’s goal to sell products? Maybe it’s getting users to pick up the phone and call about your services? Or maybe it’s getting visitors to subscribe to your email newsletter or other online service? Whatever the case may be, if your website isn’t effectively elevating your product, service or call to action, then it’s not accomplishing the primary goal that it should.
7. Is your website easily managed and updatable?
Are you stuck in a place where you cannot update your website or get a developer to make changes? Your website should be designed and built in such a way that it is relatively simple for you to make basic updates and changes. Or you should be working with a developer or agency that is quick to make updates, changes, and additions for you. With WordPress and page builders, such as Beaver Builder, designing and building an updatable website is more important and easier than ever.
After reading through this list, determine if your website is truly working for you and your business. If not, reach out to us and see how we can help. I’ve helped hundreds of other clients, and I can do the same for you and your company. As a freelance website designer, I specialize in both new sites as well as website redesigns and bringing those projects up to speed… my goal is to create a long lasting relationship with you and help your website grow your business and sell your products.
