Is it time to replace your website?

When I start talking to a business owner, there are certain questions I can tell are coming before they come.  One of those questions is “How do I know it is time to replace my website?”  They always have a certain body language when they ask that question, they are rubbing their hands together and looking at their feet like their shoes might be able to answer the question.

The truth is that by the time they ask that question, they  know the answer far better than I do. Web sites aren’t like a burnt out light bulb.  There really isn’t typically an exact moment when it is time.  There are factors though.

• Technology – The technology around creating websites doesn’t stand still. The way we build websites (with responsive design for instance) is very different today than it was even two years ago.  Is the technology used to build your site up to date and what impact does that have.  Responsive for instance means that the large percentage of people visiting your site on mobile devices will have just as good  an experience as those visiting on their desktop.
• Proper “fit” – Just like technology changes, your company changes. Perhaps now you sell something and need ecommerce functionality.  Maybe you need to be able to highlight video. Does your site have the functionality and design to fit where you are today?
• Design trends – Just like fashion offline, there is a fashion online.  Does your site just look dated?
• Street cred – For many businesses, the website is a checkbox they check when they first start a business.  They need something up there so they work with someone to put something up fast. As your company grows and develops a reputation, it frequently becomes the case that the quick website that was created in the beginning no longer represents your company the way you want it to.
• Your interaction – Can you use your website to do what you need to do? For most people this means, do you have a content management system (CMS) that you understand and that you can use to keep your website up to date and where you can promote and highlight the things you want to promote and highlight?

So, is it time to replace your website? If so, Spring Insight would love to chat with you about your business.

Next week, we will dive even deeper into this question and talk about how long you should expect a new website to last.