Keeping it fresh: why it’s important to update your website
Keeping your website up to date is one of the single most important actions you should undertake. It’s not just a one quick fix and then it’s done for the year. Oh no, there is a lot more to it!
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t’s a continual process with so many elements that make up your website, from content through to technology it’s essential that you keep up with the times to ensure that your website remains relevant and functional in this fast-paced digital world.
Your website is a reflection of your brand and ultimately your organisation, therefore it should look professional and contain useful and relevant information
Here are 5 things to consider when reviewing your website.
Does it have visual appeal?
Your website is a reflection of your brand and ultimately your organisation, therefore it should look professional and contain useful and relevant information so that users see you as being competent and an expert in your field. It should clearly highlight products or services and be consistent throughout.
Is it attractive? Easy to read? Perhaps consider fixed position headers, web animation, playful illustrations and inventive typography, the possibilities are endless.
Does it provide easy navigation?
Does your website offer a user friendly experience? How easy is your site to use? How fast is it? How easy is it to navigate? and is it able to complete actions and tasks for the user? – all these are questions you should be asking yourself when reviewing your website.
If the user finds it difficult to access and navigate your site, the first thing there going to do is close their browser. Your website is a reflection of your organisation, a poor user experience could result in loss of engagement and lack of sales.
Responsive and mobile friendly?
The rise of the digital age has seen the introduction of a whole host of smartphones and tablets. Recent data shows that a typical person spends two hours online on smartphones every day. So it’s becoming the norm to have a responsive website to ensure that users are having the best experience when visiting your website.
Responsive web design will make your website look great on all devices (desktops, tablets and mobile phones). It uses HTML and CSS to resize, hide, shrink, enlarge, or move the content to make it look good on any screen.
If your website isn’t responsive, it’s probably time you thought about making the change.
"Tracking the results of your website will allow you to see if your online strategies are working and whether they need to be amended as a reflection of the results. "
Content is King!
Users are drawn to your website, the key now is to keep them engaged and encourage them to click through to multiple pages. This can only be achieved by providing them with useful, relevant and readable content.
Often considered the most important element of a website as it helps determine how effective a website is. Fresh and unique website content is a very important factor in encouraging people to revisit your site more often.
Measuring effectiveness
Modern day websites are equipped with technology to monitor and measure their effectiveness, and this can be done by using online tools such as conversation tracking and heat mapping. An old website will not have this capability due to its aged technology.
Why is it important to measure the effectiveness of your website?
Tracking the results of your website will allow you to see if your online strategies are working and whether they need to be amended as a reflection of the results. Through monitoring a website’s effectiveness, we can identify trends and other opportunities which could lead to increased sales and engagement.
It’s essential to keep your website regularly up to date. An up to date, fully functioning website can really add to your users’ experience, which in-turn will generate a strong brand awareness and ultimately increase your sales in the long-term.
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