Is it time to consider a new website?
How long should a website last these days? Is there a standard.. a few years ago we remember having conversations about future proofing as our clients were obviously looking for a solution that would last a few years given the investment they had made. With the pace of technical change in today’s world, we appreciate that it is difficult for businesses to be constantly redeveloping.. so what’s the answer and how can we help you decide if the time is right for a new or revamped website?
1. Your website doesn’t work, or are some parts or features breaking more regularly or is it to SLOOOOOOOOOW?
Depending on the age of your website and how it was designed/built you might start to notice that it doesn’t work so well in some of the more modern browsers, or that certain plugins or modules need replacing. An audit of your site will help to identify the extent of the problems and you can then make a decision based on the facts. Fix it.
2. Is your CMS (content management system) out of date?
Is it difficult for you to update/change/amend your website? Are there certain things that you would like to do to the website but aren’t able to? Do you find that your web developers must do most of the updates needed on your website? Sometimes it is simply the case that the CMS that powers your site has reached its sell by date. Occasionally, it just hasn’t been configured very well from the outset and could be improved with some development work. We also find that sites powered by bespoke systems can sometimes be quite inflexible if the developers aren’t very active at keeping their software up to date.
3. Is your website responsive?
Have you looked at your website on a mobile / tablet? How was that experience for you? Frustrating? Positive? So the question is does your website respond to different screen sizes / resolutions? Don’t lose your audience’s interest because your website only works well on a desktop. If you answered no to this, we’d usually say that the time is right for a new website, don’t forget, a new responsive design can, in some cases, be retrofitted to an existing CMS platform.
4. Does it look tired and out of date?
Is your website out of date? Is it starting to look outdated compared to your competitors and business peers? If you’re not sure, ask your customers/friends and get a consensus. Maybe your images are just tired and too stock image-based. A fresh look at images can make a huge difference to a site. Maybe the design needs a spruce up. Speak to a web agency, speak to us!, get some feedback, options, and ideas.
5. Are you getting the results you need?
Are you meeting your business goals? Your website should help your business progress by generating enquiries, sales, leads, or simply helping your clients understand more about you. Are you looking at your website analytics to find out how people are using your website ? It’s worth the time and effort to do this, even if you only look at a very high level.
You really don’t need training to understand the basics of analytics, but it’s the first step to finding out if your site is actually working, especially with the growth of mobile web visitors. We’d recommend an audit of your site activity and some competitor analysis here, as this will provide information that could help increase your site’s conversion rate or help identify any changes required that could make a huge difference.
6. Are your competitors all competitor-like?
Have you looked at your top competitors’ websites recently? Have they changed tactics? If they haven’t it’s an opportunity for you to get ahead of the game and differentiate yourself from everyone else, set the trend! If they have updated it, you had better keep up!
Remember that for many businesses, your website is the first point of contact for your audience, and as always, first impressions count. If your competitors are offering a more engaging website, a site that is easier to use, a site with a more eye-catching design, etc., chances are you may lose some of your customers.
7. The website is no longer ‘selling’ your business?
Has your business changed/evolved and your website no longer represents your business offering? Or has your business outgrown your existing site? Hello Guest Ltd changed their website in 2024 as they are now focusing on the entire UK holiday letting market and not just Airbnb management. This meant that the entire website had to be rewritten and restructured to show this change in commercial direction and to show all of the new locations the company now covers.
Often, the simple answer is, yes, time for a new site and it’s not always a bad thing to consider. In our experience, a new website project can be very cathartic, often forcing focus in areas that haven’t been lifted and peered under for a while. Our advice, spend time on the discovery phase, really think about what you want and need for your business and then get an agency to give you their input. Don’t be afraid to give this some time, we see clients who spend years getting around to deciding on a new site and then it’s a mad rush and short deadlines. These days, a new site is a sizeable investment for a business, so the time to think and plan is worth every penny.
8. Do you use a whole range of systems and have to duplicate data ?
We see this a lot, and it’s something that should be given serious thought when a new business system is considered. Our advice when looking at a new system is, can it integrate with my other systems? Don’t take anyone’s word for it, unfortunately there are some unscrupulous companies out there that offer a very loose version of “yes it will integration with your website”, make sure you ask for live evidence of that, and API documentation or ask your web agency to get involved. This could save you lots of money and making a bad decision that leaves you out of pocket and duplicating data entry everywhere!
Remember, the point of utilising technology is to save you time.
At Slightly Different we have the in-house skills and expertise in design, development and marketing. If you’re considering revamping your site, looking into setting up your first site or need a complete overhaul of your existing online presence please get in touch, we’d love to talk to you and we’d love to help.
