8 Signs it’s Time to Build a New Website for your Business

How long have you had your website? Has it been a couple of years? Did you build it when you first opened your business? If you haven’t updated your website in a while, it might not be working as well as it used to.

Your website might have been the perfect employee when you first created it, but over the years, it’s gotten slow, outdated, and is full of information that’s no longer relevant to your services.

Your outdoor living business has changed over the years, and your website should change with it!

Today we’re going to show you how to recognize when it’s time to say goodbye to your old website and start afresh with a brand new site.

Here are eight signs it’s time to build a new website for your business.

1. You’ve got a high bounce rate

Have you noticed that you’re getting a lot of traffic to your site, but all your visitors are bouncing away moments later?

This could be due to a few things!

• Your website might not have the information they thought it would
• Your services aren’t what they’re looking for
• Your website is hard to understand
• Your content doesn’t entice them to grab the phone and call you
• They can’t figure out how to contact you
• You look untrustworthy
• Your website is outdated

Having a high bounce rate isn’t a good look for your company. The higher the bounce rate, the lower your ranking will be on Google and the less website traffic you’ll receive.

Older, outdated websites tend to have a high bounce rate because they haven’t been updated with the latest information, or they’re just not working as well as they used to.

Old websites usually aren’t up to the standards of the average web user either. They’re not mobile-friendly, they’re hard to navigate, and the design just isn’t nice to look at. If you want to reduce your bounce rate then passing the basic standards of your average website visitor is an absolute must.

If you’ve got a high bounce rate, we’d recommend looking into it to find the cause. An easy solution is to hire a talented website developer to create a brand new site from scratch!

2. Your website looks old and outdated

If your website hasn’t been updated in over a decade, then the chances of it looking its age are highly likely.

An outdated website can make your site’s visitors see you as an outdated company. Nobody wants to work with somebody whose website looks like it was made back in the early 2000s!

If your user lands on your website and sees that it’s outdated, they’re most likely going to click away to a better-looking competitor. 75% of consumers admit to judging a company’s credibility based on website design, and 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience.

So not only do you lose out on that new customer, but the hope of getting them to come back – even after you’ve updated your website – is really slim!

3. Your navigation is confusing to customers

Navigation is an essential aspect of any website, and if your customers can’t figure out where to find what they’re looking for, then you’re done for.

Not being able to navigate a website is like walking into a store and struggling to find the aisle you’re looking for. Whether it’s because of bad signage or a confusing layout, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you’re going to leave without making a purchase.

The same goes for websites.

If your user loads up your site and they can’t figure out where to go to check out your services, then you’re in trouble. If they don’t know where to go or what to do next, they’ll leave without a second thought.

4. Your site isn’t mobile-friendly

85% of customers expect that a company’s website will be just as good on their mobile device as the desktop version.

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly or doesn’t work correctly on mobile devices, then those hard-earned potential customers won’t convert.

Mobile accounts for approximately half of the world’s online traffic, and people are more likely to search for things online using their phones because it’s just plain easier.

So if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, then now is the time to update it.

5. Your website doesn’t reflect where your company is now

Over the years, your company is going to change and grow. Your voice and tone will shift, and your goals will change, but that’s all part of owning a business.

The problem lies with not updating your website to reflect your new position.

You attract, communicate, and engage with your audience through your website. If you’re trying to attract a specific target audience with your site, but your site doesn’t appeal to what they’re looking for, then you’re going to run into issues.

Make sure your branding on your website matches your current company brand, or you’ll end up attracting the wrong kind of market to your business.

6. It takes forever for your website to load

A slow-loading website is one of the biggest killers of website traffic. 47% of people expect a website to load within two seconds. If your website is any slower, they’ll just click away and jump over to your competitor’s site.

But, it’s not just your website you have to worry about when it comes to loading.

Sometimes a web page will load, but the images won’t appear. 39% of consumers will stop engaging with a website if the images won’t load. So even if they manage to load up your website, if your images aren’t loading for them, they’ll leave quickly.

7. Updating or adding content is difficult

When was the last time you uploaded a blog post or updated your website pages?

If you’ve tried to post new content to your website but found it was difficult to do so then your website is either out of date or hasn’t been updated in a couple of years. If your website was designed on an old platform then you might have a hard time updating any of the content.

If you’re not able to update your content then your website won’t be able to keep up with the changes happening in your company. You won’t be able to update your services, your portfolio, or your business information!

The only solution is to completely revamp your website and create a new site that clearly outlines what you’re offering. Having a new website on an updated platform will allow you to edit your content whenever you like so your audience will always have the latest information about your company.

8. You can’t remember the last time you updated your website security

Website security is so important! It’s what keeps your data and your client’s information safe from hackers.

If you haven’t updated your security plugins in a while, or worse, you can’t even remember ever updating your security, then your data is in danger! If your website is at risk, potential customers won’t feel comfortable handing over their contact or payment information.

Make sure your new website has an SSL certificate so your potential clients will feel safe working with you. An SSL certificate will authenticate your website’s identity and keep your data and your client’s data safe.

If your website isn’t secure then Google will notice, and it won’t let your company appear anywhere near the front page of the search results.

We hope our blog on recognizing the signs it’s time to build a new website for your business has helped you realize when your website will need updating.

If you’ve noticed while reading our blog that your website does need updating, then our team is here to help.

We’re specialists in helping landscaping companies and outdoor contractors excel online by building them unique websites and helping them create the perfect branding for their company.

Get in touch with our team today if you want to build a brand new website for your online business so you can start attracting more high-quality clients.