Your website is the heartbeat of your business. It’s the central hub where consumers can discover and connect with your products and/or services. To succeed in the digital age, a website provides the groundwork necessary to advertise and sell to a 21st-century audience.
As websites continue to be upgraded and developed for more interactive and immersive experiences, the days of basic web HTML seem so primitive. It’s pretty impressive to look back over the past 30 years and see the progression of website interfaces. That being said, too many businesses are undercutting their revenues by having an outdated and poorly functioning website.
Here’s a list of six red flags that show your business needs a new website, and why delaying the update is costing you money.
1. Mobile Runs the Internet
The world has over 7 billion people, and more than 4 billion are mobile phone users. This equates to roughly 52 percent of all website traffic being generated through smartphones. For your business to be relevant in 2019, your website MUST be optimized for mobile viewing. If a visitor cannot easily navigate your site via their iPhone, you’re losing a large percentage of online traffic.
Why it’s costing you money: It’s forecasted that by the end of 2021, 54 percent of all retail e-commerce will come from mobile commerce. Additionally, younger generations, are ditching their computers for their smartphones to do the majority of their web surfing and buying. Missing out on tailoring your site for the best mobile experience will continually cut into your profit margins with each passing year as newer generations start to make up the majority of the economy.
2. High Bounce Rates Indicate Visitors Don’t Like a Website
While bounce rate is slightly subjective to the industry your business is intertwined in, a bounce rate of 70 percent or higher is considered poor performing. The odds of those viewers looking at one page from your site, leaving, and then returning — is extremely unlikely. Generally, a bounce rate of 40 to 55 percent is considered average. Seeing a lot of your traffic exit your ecosystem just as quickly as it entered is a telltale sign of a website that needs a redesign.
Why it’s costing you money: Whatever strategy you’re using to get visitors, whether that’s PPC campaigns, organic social media media, backlinking, etc., the time and money being invested in this marketing is being shredded because leads are not willing to stay within your environment. A good website acts as a vacuum, sucking users into its pages. A high bounce rate results in your marketing campaigns being worthless, regardless of their effectiveness.
3. No Call-to-Action Responses?
Are your form submissions and phone calls down? Not meeting sales projections? If your website is CTA focused, and not meeting lead/sales quotas, this can be the writing on the wall that your website just isn’t doing it. A website should act as an incubator for visitors, enticing them with cues that make them inquire or purchase your good/service.
Why it’s costing you money: CTAs are an integral part of the sales funnel. Consumers look for guidance on what should be the next step. It motivates them to follow a course you’ve laid out. Unsuccessful CTAs are because of bad copy, unattractive design, and shoddy placement. If your CTAs are not performing properly, your sales pipeline is undoubtedly going to feel it.
4. Not Ranking Well on Google Might Be Your Website’s Fault
Okay, so a lot of variables factor into why your website might be ranking poorly on search engines. But in the same breath, it could very well boil down to an old, outdated website. Google provides its users a service — connecting them to the best information in the best way. As search engines look to deliver the best user experience, they are seeking websites that will do that. If your website lacks easy navigation, clean design, and a positive viewing experience, you’re going to be dinged by Google.
Why it’s costing you money: It is estimated that 75 percent of clicks go to Google’s first results page, with the first position gobbling up one-third of all traffic for that specific keyword or phrase. If you’re not seeing first-page, or at the minimum second-page ranking, then you’re losing out on potential sales strictly from the aspect that “you need to show up for the game to have a chance at winning.”
5. Your Competitor’s Website > Your Website
As a business, you understand how providing a better product or service than your competitors should be a selling point. Even if that is the case, but your competitors have better performing websites, you’re going to struggle to drive more traffic to your company. Web surfers often associate the look and functionality of a website with the quality of a product or service being supplied by that business.
Why it’s costing you money: This one is self-explanatory, but if your website is losing traffic to your competitors, those are potential leads and sales that are not going into your pocket. Keeping up with the times is part of an ever-evolving economy, and ensuring that you’re not lagging behind your competition in regards to website user experience is vital to the health of your business.
6. The 5 Year Facelift
It’s a safe rule of thumb that a website needs a makeover every five years. As talked about throughout this blog, keeping user experience as a top priority is a determining factor for the success of a business. As website design keeps upping the bar, staying on the forefront of functionality will continue to benefit the consumer experience.
Why it’s costing you money: While a website design might cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars, up to tens of thousands depending on the site, the ROI is sure to well worth any upfront sum. A study from Standford reported that 75 percent of consumers base a company’s credibility off of their website design.
Need A New Website?
At Venta Marketing, we are helping businesses meet their goals head-on. As leaders in the digital marketing industry, we know what great web design looks and feels like. Contact us today to inquire about our web services!