Website technology, standards and design approaches are quite dynamic. They keep on changing every few years and users have to embrace the newest innovations in order to maintain a competitive edge. If your website has that 1998 HTML look, you are going to lose out to someone who builds their websites in the latest versions of Ruby, Javascript, Python or Java. Your website must be updated and upgraded regularly to adhere to the latest web standards and keep the website security up to date. Here is a look at some of the top reasons to update your website this year:-
Website security is vulnerable to breaches
Just like the evolving web technologies, hackers are also quite dynamic and they continue devising new techniques to break past your security defenses and wipe out years of hard work. The likelihood of security breaches affecting older sites is generally higher as they are reliant on older and less secure security protocols that might be easier to breach.
Design and Visual Appeal out of tune with Contemporary Look and Feel
The websites that were built in the mid 90s are a lot uglier, even repulsive, than those that have been built in the past three years. This is a testament to the fact that web design is evolving. As a business, you have to keep an eye on these changing trends and update the visual appeal of your site to stay ahead of the trends. If your website was last designed several years back, you may have to update the design and appeal to something that is more cutting-edge.
The website content is no longer relevant
Web content ought to be constantly “evergreen” in order to appeal to your customers and convert. If you crafted your web content several years back, a lot of realities will have changed and you need to update these changes in your web content in order to stay relevant.
The Coding and Technique is Outdated
When it comes to web technologies, you must strive to always stay ahead of the curve. Technology keeps on changing and you must constantly update them to ensure that it adheres to the latest web standards. If your coding or web programming language is outdated, take steps to update to the latest versions.
When deciding on whether to update the coding and technique, make sure that you always factor in the usability of the website. You must always update with the aim of increasing the usability and performance. Stay in tune with the latest web standards and developments in order increase the performance of the website. Codes are getting more efficient and if your site was built several years ago, it probably has lots of unnecessary code that is slowing it down. Doing an upgrade eliminates this obstacle and ensures your site is performing at the same level as other ultra-modern websites.
Your Stock Photography is Dated
Quality stock photography augments your website’s message and also boosts your search engine rankings. A good photo strategy will have an overall positive impact on the core objectives of your website. However, photos, too, might get outdated and you may need to update the stock photography on your website in order to make them as relevant as possible for your current needs. The images used on your website must accurately reflect the message that you wish to pass on your website.
You are no longer making good website conversions
If you don’t optimize your website for maximum conversions, your competitors with a design and technological edge will begin diverting some of your prospects. The main area here is the call-to-action. It must adhere to current design trends and strategies in order to have a maximal impact for the current internet user. If your website is dated, it probably lacks an effective call to action tool that you can utilize to generate optimal web conversions.
Your navigation sucks
User experience (UX) is the litmus test for a great quality website. Website navigation contributes a great deal to the quality of the user experience, guiding the website user to the must-visit pages. The ability to search and discover information is at the core of website functionality. Your navigation should be easy to spot, accessible, with a good visual appeal and fast in order to help users find the information that they need quickly. If your website navigation is no longer serving this role, then it may be time for an upgrade.
You have an unfavorable bounce rate
The bounce rate is the measure of user engagement on your website. A very high bounce rate of over 70% may be an indication that your readers do not find your content appealing enough or are not sufficiently motivated to lookup more information on your website. It may be a signal that you need to up your content game. A bounce rate of 26% to 40% is usually regarded as excellent or ideal. A rate of 41% to 55% is regarded as average while a rate of 56% to 70% is high but should not be a cause for alarm depending on your niche. With a bounce rate of over 70%, you may have to re-evaluate your content strategy.
The above shows you some of the top reasons or signals that you should look out for to determine whether your website is ripe for an upgrade. Even in the absence of these, it is good business practice to periodically update and upgrade your website in order to give your target audience a quality experience.