Does your business need a new website?

5 Things for Business to Ask About Their Online Presence

If you already have a business website and you’re wondering if it’s time for a new one, then this article is for you.

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself when determining whether or not your business is ready for an online upgrade:

Has your business grown or changed since your website originally went online?

Businesses change. Your needs, size and vision are likely not the same as when you first started. Maybe a low cost, simple website was just what you needed then. But is it still serving you well?

Your website should be treated like any other part of your business – if it’s no longer capable of doing what it takes to make you successful, it’s time to invest in an upgrade.

You may need a new website if:

Your current site is not portraying your business accurately
You don’t have the flexibility to add the content or functionalities needed
You would like to start using your site as a tool
You want to further your reach or expand

Does your website look good and perform well on mobile devices?

It is no longer an option to have a responsive website. If your customers aren’t getting a good mobile experience on your website, they will likely just leave. ‘

In my experience with website statistics in Spokane and even in surrounding rural areas, the majority of website visitors will be on a smart phone. Of course, to lose half of your customers is never something you should risk.

Try viewing your website on different sizes of phones and a tablet. Can you read everything? Are all the buttons working properly? Is the functionality affected with the change of devices? Or is the mobile experience confusing or frustrating in any way? These answers will tell you if you need a website redesign for a more accessible layout.

Is your website difficult to manage and update?

Your website should work FOR you, not make you work harder. Maybe you are on a platform that is not user friendly or perhaps your site just hasn’t been set up properly for easy editing. If this is you, you know how frustrating it is to regularly spend large amounts of time making edits or updating your website.

That isn’t what you went into business for, and it doesn’t have to be this way! Properly done, a website shouldn’t be difficult to manage. And honestly, you don’t even have to at all! Hiring a professional for a monthly maintenance plan can save you time and sanity.

Does it take a long time for your pages to load?

Let’s face it, we’re all impatient when it comes to the web. We’ve been spoiled with high speeds and we expect websites to be served to us immediately.

In fact, if a visitor has to wait more than a couple seconds, they will give up and look elsewhere. Optimizing your website for speed is a MUST. Even Google will reward you with higher rankings for a faster site.

You don’t necessarily need a new website to get faster loading speeds. It depends on what is holding it up. But sometimes the website will need a more complex fix.

Is your website professional, interesting, and modern?

Last, let’s look at the actual content of the website. Is the design clean, attractive, and modern? Are the pictures and words doing a good job of portraying your story, keeping the reader engaged, and selling your brand? And are the fonts and colors complimenting the design to give the right mood and feelings?

This part of web design is an art that takes training and practice. Even if you personally like the look of your website, it is helpful to get the opinion of many people and compare your website to others in your field. Imagine you are the customer being introduced to your business for the first time. What would you think?

DOES YOUR WEBSITE SELL??

None of this matters if you are still lacking on one thing — Does your website bring you leads and customers, simplify your workload, and add value to your business?

All of the other factors are only contributing to this one goal. If your site is not working FOR you, then it is no longer an asset and you definitely need to reconsider your strategy. (*note: Low website performance is not always the website’s fault. Proper marketing is essential to success.)

How did you score?

If after reviewing these questions, you feel like your website is not giving you the value that it should and could, it is probably time to invest in your business and upgrade. Please contact Crisp Web Services to discuss options.

Also, this is not by any means an extensive list of every issue a website could have. I do offer a free website analysis where I review your website and offer my professional opinion and give you some suggestions for improvement.

For you High Achievers who passed the test–
So, you already have a great website? Are you keeping it well maintained and updated and using it to it’s full potential? Sounds like it’s time to put it to work! Contact me to discuss plans on maintenance, SEO, or Marketing to get more traffic and sales.