If you are reading this article, it is probably now. Now-ish. 

But, if you’re not sure, we have put together this article to help you see the light. So, have a read, and if any of the 7 points apply, then it may just be time to contact us (and reap the rewards) of a brand new website. So new it squeaks when you walk (too far?)

Our 7 (deadly) signs that you need a new website:

1 You have competitors

If you have competitors, which you do, you need to remain…competitive. Unless your website is better than all of theirs, and perhaps it is. Yet here you are on a blog article about the signs it is time for a new website… It takes only 50 milliseconds (or 0.05 seconds) for people to establish their opinion of your website. We were all taught not to judge books by their covers but it seems that the lesson fell on deaf ears. So, if you want potential customers to pick you and save their 0.05-second judgements for someone else, then it’s simple really.

2 You want more sales

The power of a well-oiled website to generate revenue is, well, powerful. You can only really appreciate the value once you have one. We’re talking about a lead generating, consumer-enticing, informative and damn-good-looking website. You may be pretty happy with your sales and not looking to increase them (really?). Nonetheless, your website can always be performing better and you are probably losing more leads than you want to know. We know sales aren’t everything and looking after the clients you already have comes first. But why wouldn’t you want your website to be an effective means of driving sales? Unless you have highly optimised social platforms, it is likely to be your best tool for online lead generation. 

3 Your site is more than 3 years old

There is a general rule of thumb that a website’s ‘use-by’ date is usually at about 18 – 30 months. This is quite broad and there are certainly other factors at play but if your site has been collecting dust for over three years then it may be time to think about upgrading to a newer, younger model. 

4 Your site isn’t mobile-friendly

Stop reading and contact us immediately. This is not a false alarm.

But really, if it isn’t, it should be. Mobile usage for browsing the internet has overtaken desktop usage. It now has 52.27% of the market share. If your website isn’t optimised for handheld devices, which is pretty simple stuff, then on average, over half of your website visitors are being shown a site that looks bad and isn’t doing your brand justice.

It’s not only important to make sure your site is user-friendly, as it’s these users that are prospect customers, but also, Google ranks mobile-friendly sites higher and we know how important this is. (If you don’t know how important this is, again, stop reading and contact us now. The SEO gods are turning in their graves.) A good website is nothing without great SEO and you need a responsive website for that.

If you are not sure whether your site is mobile-friendly, here is a handy little way you can find out.

5 Its looks and functionality are just a little outdated

We say ‘just a little’ very generously. If your site doesn’t look and operate like it belongs in 2030, do you really want it? The navigation needs to be intuitive and the site structure needs to be easy to follow. 88% of consumers are unlikely to return to a site if they have a poor user experience. 

It helps to think of your website as your home. Your ‘business e-home’. Would you want to take your guests on a tour of your website as it is? You want to offer the best and most relevant content and features for your visitors to provide them with the greatest experience that will have them wanting to come back. 

6 It is slow

There is nothing worse than a slow website. You know it. We know it. 53% of mobile users will abandon a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. So if you are breaking the magic 3-second rule then you need to speed things up. 

7 You can’t update the content yourself

If you can’t easily manage content updates in-house then it’s definitely time to upgrade. Now we’re not telling you developers are no longer needed, they certainly are, but content management systems (CMS) have been around for a while now so if your website isn’t one, then it should be. Or, yours is a CMS that is just not easy to use and is counter-intuitive. Either way, it’s time to upgrade.

Let us conclude

New year, new website. Why not? I think I’ve even persuaded myself. 

‘But who can I trust to build me this new website?’ I hear. You’re in luck! We build websites and we’ve been building them for over 20 years. What are the chances? So go on, give us a call. We can make your wildest (website) dreams come true.