Do I Need A New Website?

Technology is developing at a rapid fire pace these days. It always seems like Google is coming out with new algorithms, new SEO techniques are being introduced and websites need to be kept up to date with the demands of their audiences. It may be past time for you to be thinking about a website re-design if you haven’t yet done so. But is it really necessary you ask? Is it worth the time, trouble, and money to makeover my site? 

Lets pose a few scenarios. If you find yourself nodding in agreement to a few, you need a new website. 

  1. Projects are slow to come in because of what people see on your website. 
  2. You don’t have your work posted on the website for people to view and gauge your experience. 
  3. Your website is not responsive.
  4. Your website has poor load speed. 
  5. Updating your website content is something you put off because of a poor content management system.
  6. Over the course of your business, your business model has changed and your website needs to reflect the new direction. 

Have we got your attention now? Good. Now here is a key piece of advice that you must understand and accept from the get go. If you are ready to revamp your website, you HAVE to be willing to dedicate the time and money to do so. This involves writing new content, proofing, preparing images, overseeing graphics, reviewing the final product, etc. If you have a graphic designer and a web developer working on your project, that’s wonderful! But remember, you will still be responsible for deliverables, so it’s always important to be responsive to questions and requests.

In order to meet today’s web standards, there are a few technical elements you need to include. 

  1. Responsive design! It’s pretty much a requirement today that you be optimized for various mobile devices, as well as desktops.
  2. Please avoid flash and all other proprietary tools that users would have to install special plugins. This is a major turnoff to users. 
  3. Take the time to consider proper SEO. Your entire website should be optimized for best rankings among search results. This may mean bringing on an SEO specialist to help you develop a campaign and help you increase your rankings and visibility. 
  4. Your content management system should be easy and efficient to use. Make sure you have a CMS that will allow you to update content on your own, rather than having to contact the developer each time to make changes. This will save you time and money. 
  5. If you are hiring a web developer to create your new site, make sure you picks someone with plenty of experience, and someone who will listen to your ideas, but be able to provide ideas of their own as well. You two will be collaborating together and you want to establish a solid working relationship with easy communication.