When Is It Time For a New Website?

Did you check 'get a website for my business' off your To Do List, and now never think about it again? To make the most of your website, you should review it at least once a year to see if the content or technology should be updated.

There are many things to think about when considering whether or not to update your website.

How long has it been since your site was built?

If it has been more than two or three years, you should contact your web developer to see if there have been any technology changes that might impact your site.

For example, in 2008 most people didn't have smart phones and cellular plans that allowed them to view websites anywhere, anytime. Consequently, websites were designed to be viewed primarily on traditional desktop computers. Adobe Flash was a popular and often used component to bring movement to websites.

By 2012, alternate mobile-friendly sites were starting to appear, making it necessary for owners and developers to support both desktop and mobile versions of their sites. By this time, the use of Flash on websites had been dramatically reduced due to Apple's refusal to support it on their very popular mobile devices.

By 2016, Google's mobile algorithm was making it's impact known, favoring mobile friendly websites in their mobile search results. Screen sizes had evolved into four distinct size classes: desktop, laptop, tablet and cell phone, leading to the rise of responsive web design over a single, alternate mobile version.

So, if your website was built more than a couple of years ago, it was likely built well for the trends and technology at the time, but now could be dating itself, and your company, by not reflecting a more current look and platform. It could also be hurting you from a search engine ranking perspective if it is not built as a responsive website, which is Google's preferred best practice.

Does that mean you must rebuild your website every few years? No. But, at very least, have it reviewed to see if it would benefit from some tweaking behind the scenes.

Is your site responsive?

What is a responsive web design? Basically it is just a fancy way of saying that your site will look great on a screen of any size - widescreen computer monitor, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. And it happens to be Google's recommended design pattern so it will have an impact on how Google ranks your site in their search results.

How can I tell if my site is responsive? The easiest way is to pull up your website on your computer, and then resize your browser window, making it narrower and narrower, simulating the different screen sizes of laptops, tablets and cell phones. If your site is responsive, you will see the page contents shifting, to display slightly differently for each different screen size, and when you get to a small size, you will likely see your menu change to the click to view mobile menu version commonly indicated by this icon: . If you don't see any changes in the layout of your page as you are changing the size of your browser, or your menu text gets smaller and smaller and smaller as you resize, then your site is likley not responsive.

Why is it bad if my site isn't responsive? Besides Google counting this against you when ranking your website, potential customers might consider your site - and by extension, your entire business - out of date, thereby damaging your brand or credibility.

How long has it been since your content was updated?

Does your content not reflect your current company vision, mission or values? Does it reference dates, products or technology that might suggest it hasn't been updated in while? Are you missing links to social media accounts that you use, like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or LinkedIn? All of these things can date your website, and subsequently make your business feel stale. If this is the case with your site, then perhaps you might think about updating your content at least, even if you don't do a complete site update.

Does your site actually look dated?

Look at it honestly. If it looks like it was designed for a small 1990's monitor, has blinking text and a busy background ... then it is definitely time for a makeover!

So, should I rebuild my business website?

Is it important to rebuild your website every year? No. Could it be time for a rebuild if it has been more than 3 years since your last build? Absolutely. The development of your web site should be reviewed and/or refreshed every 2 - 3 years, and your content should be updated at least once a year.

If you think it is time for a refresh, but are unsure or nervous about what to do next, please contact me and I will help you through the process. It will be painless, I promise.