1998 Called. They Want Their Design Back
How Old Is Your Website Design?
More than any other marketing medium, website designs age quickly. In a few years, a website can quickly shift from cool to outdated and stale. An outdated website reflects poorly on your brand and can waste time and resources to try keep it updated and promoted.
And, if you’re hoping to rank well in Google, you might also like to know that search engines do give some preference to fresh content over content that has not changed for years.
If your website has not been updated for years, you need to ask yourself the following questions;
- How are you website visuals perceived compared to newer competitors in your field?
- How is your website doing in terms of functionality?
- How is your website doing in terms of search engine optimization?
- How is your website doing in terms of aesthetics?
But, What About the Big Ugly Websites?
It’s true that some of the biggest websites haven’t changed much since the nineties. eBay, Google, and Craig’s List, for example. In terms of aesthetics, they’re pretty ugly. Also hugely successful. But here’s the rub – they offer cheap or free. You can use Google and Craig’s List free. eBay offers a pretty cheap way to sell your stuff.
If you’re the Walmart of your industry, the cheapest of the cheap, you can probably afford to be ugly and outdated, too. But if you’re trying to convince people that you’re a successful professional, shouldn’t you look it? Whether you sell tea or giftbaskets, landscaping or accounting services – you need to look professional or few will stick around long enough to read your content.
It’s Not Just Looks
Newer website design technology is more efficient. A new design can send your content out to search engines using ping technology. Allow people to subscribe to updates using RSS or receive an email every time your website is updated. Does your website do that? How do you plan to keep up with competing sites that are using new technology?
Trust Is the Final Frontier…
According to the 2008 Edelmen Trust Barometer, less than 40% of consumers under age 34 feel that most company websites are credible. Only 31% of consumers over 35 feel most company websites are credible. Ouch. Do you think people buy from websites that they don’t think are credible? We don’t think so, either.
On the Internet, you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. The back button is right there, right now and a competing site is one click away. If you haven’t updated your site for a few years, this might be a good time to think about it.