Did you set it and forget it? It might be time to renovate your website.
Do you remember 80’s hair? Gold appliances and carpet from the 1970s? Or maybe acid washed jeans from the 90s? Whatever you were rocking in the past, chances are you changed a little. Everything needs a refresh once in a while and in our world, things start to look a little retro pretty quickly. It’s the same with your website.
When you created your website to showcase your business, you put a lot of effort into the images and text that you chose. It is a worthwhile challenge and once it was done, you probably weren’t in a hurry to do it again. Not to worry, you don’t have to recreate the wheel to refresh your online presence.
Your website gives most people their first impression of your brand. Of course you want it to reflect what you do and create memorable and favorable impact. This impact is more positive when your website shows that you maintain and tend to it. Is it time to update a little?
These 5 elements can help you update your existing website and show that your business is relevant in the marketplace.
Mobile Optimization
More than half of viewers come to your site on a mobile device at least some of the time. And the bounce rate is high for sites that are not mobile ready. If the pages are hard to view or broken up, your message will be too. Many platforms now include easy editing tools to check and repair your pages for mobile viewing.
Looking Fresh
Much like old movies look, well, like old movies, old graphics look outdated. It is easy to get fresh stock images from sources such as Unsplash. There are thousands of graphics to choose from to support the content on all of the pages of your site.
But don’t stop at stock. Customers and prospects love to see the real you. Personal images go a long way to supporting brand integrity and make your business real to your visitors.
While you should definitely use high resolution and quality images, you don’t always need to make sure the photos are sanitized. Again, they want to know your brand and see some personality in your pictures. So let it shine!
Social Media Integration
People want to connect with your business and they want to see who else is connecting. Plus, most consumers want to see your brand on multiple platforms, which reinforces brand awareness and gives you that edge of relevance. So it is essential to integrate your social media profiles into your website. Keep in mind that not all networks are appropriate to all businesses, but choose the relevant platforms for your brand and make sure the icons are easy to find on your site.
There are widgets to add social media functionality to almost any web design platform. It’s important to have the ‘like’ and ‘share’ icons available for your content, as well as the ability to follow your profiles. Note that these may be two different widgets or modules, but both should be easy to add to your site and keep your business relevant.
Internal Links
Over time, links can get outdated as pages change or move. Visitors can be easily frustrated and lost over broken links. Take time to go over any links you have on your site and update them as needed. You can also add new links to external resources and links to your own content to enrich the experience.
Core Values
The most successful companies have strong core values which help connect their teams to a common purpose and drive morale and goals within the organization. But core values are also important to customers as they are top indicators of brand personality and integrity. In fact, more than 60% of consumers choose brands that resonate with their own values and belief systems. And they will avoid brands that don’t.
When you refresh your website, it’s a good idea to ensure you are presenting your mission and core values in your ‘About’ pages as well as the homepage. Take a little time to create that content and share it proudly because it’s really helps your business stand out as an individual.
Hello Again
Once you have a fresh face on your website, it’s a great time to reconnect with your customers, followers, prospects, and employees. We welcome you to share your new look with us, we’d love to see it!
