Did you know that your business website is your office on the internet?
Unfortunately, like your office, if you don’t take care of it & keep it up to date nobody will take you seriously. Imagine if you pulled into your favorite restaurant to find mold on the side of the building. What would you do? I know for me, if you can’t take care of the mold, how clean is the kitchen?
This is one of the issues a lot of businesses face today!
If you are not sure, here are a few signs that your website needs a facelift. (Please do yourself a favor and PAY ATTENTION)
1. Is Your Website Mobile Friendly/Responsive?
This is a very important question. It will help convert your visitors into customers and help you rank in the search engines.
But, what is a responsive website?
Responsive web design is the process that renders the website on different devices. Depending on what your visitor is using, the website will adjust to make the site easier to use.
The content doesn’t always change but the size, animation or alignment might. If your visitor is on an iPhone when they visit your site & can’t see your information, you lost them. Unfortunately, businesses lose potential customers like this every day.
Another important part of having a mobile friendly website is making sure that it is optimized for speed on mobile. This means your website loads fast on a smartphone.
You can test your website loading speed with GTMetrix. It is what I personally use and find that it will make all the recommendations needed to improve your website loading time.
2. Are You Boxed In With An Out-Dated Design?
Because the technology wasn’t always the way it is today, it shows in results. In the early days of the web, and not too long ago it was normal to design the entire site “above the fold”.
The “Boxed” design may have a certain appeal to you “the business owner”, many split-tests and case studies show that it hinders conversions.
These designs can feel outdated with today’s internet that is now focused on the flow of your traffic. Today’s websites make better use of all the space in which they are viewed and are responsive to fit the user’s viewing choice.
3. Is Your Website Optimized For Google & Other Search Engines?
The older the site the more chance that your site isn’t ranking for the keywords your potential clients are searching for.
One of the most misunderstood things on the internet, for business owners, is search engine optimization.
Let me help you understand one thing that is certain.
Just because you have a website, doesn’t mean you will show up when people search for your services and/or products. The process of search engine optimization can be a massive task but it all depends on your competition.
If you are in a microniche that has barely any competition you will find it is easier to rank for than a market like “Real Estate”.
4. Is Your Website Secure?
Let’s be honest, with the new updates to browsers like Chrome and Firefox, this is very important!
Having an SSL Certificate installed on your website is almost as important as having the website itself. I’m not going to bore you with a long explanation of an SSL Certificate but I will say it is a way to secure your website. Basically put, an SSL encrypts the data of your website.
Without an SSL installed you may notice a big red warning when visiting your website from Google. This can cause you to lose the majority of your website traffic.
Is it expensive to install an SSL Certificate?
Well, it depends on the website. Honestly, if you start with the SSL when building a website then it is not difficult and only takes a few minutes. But, if you already have a website and are installing the certificate then you may find that it can take a decent amount of time and if you are paying someone to do this it could get expensive for the labor.
SSL Certificates can get very expensive themselves depending on the level of security and insurance you receive with the certificate.
HostYak SSL Certificates… This is my partner website with GoDaddy and they offer a good SSL with a $100,000 warranty for about $75/year(at the time I’m writing this I am waiting for new price changes to take place on the site which should drop that price to around $40/year)
Does Your Website Need Some TLC?
If you have read this and think you need some help with improving your website, I offer a FREE consultation & website analysis to discuss your options. Call today with any questions (423) 930-8001 or contact me for more information.
If you do not yet have a website I’d be glad to help you make an educated decision on the best route to go for your business and budget.
