Your website is often the first thing people see when they check out your brand. For businesses, this can mean making a customer or losing a sale. Sometimes businesses treat their websites as a one-and-done deal. In reality, a website is an ongoing project and should be maintained as your brand grows. If you have not revamped your website in the past while, chances are you can create a better experience for your customers.

Here are 5 reasons why you need a website refresh.

 

To Update Information

 

Depending on the industry your business is in, your sector may evolve over time in terms of technology or resources. Make sure that your business doesn’t get left behind and update, add, or delete web pages to stay current. Consistently updating your information will lead to a higher level of trust among your customers, and helps keep both employees and customers on the same page. Make sure that important pieces of information like hours of operation, addresses, and social media links are up-to-date.

 

To Improve Organization

 

Adding new content to your site can be exciting, as long as your site remains simple and easy to navigate. If your site becomes cluttered or confusing, it doesn’t matter how good your content is if a user can’t find it. Simply put, your content should be rich in knowledge and placed in a logical and straightforward way. Plan out your sitemap ahead of time so you’ll know if you need to move information, or completely overhaul your website.

 

To Adjust Branding

 

As your business and website grow, your brand will also evolve. Look at your website design, including your logo, homepage, headers, and even the voice and tone of your content. Make sure your brand is consistent across all pages and content. If your brand has changed over the years, make sure to update it on your website as well.

 

To Make it Mobile-Friendly

 

Today, mobile users account for more than half of all users who visit websites. In a world where virtually everyone owns a mobile phone, it’s imperative that you can reach everyone through your mobile site. On the SEO side, Google’s mobile-first indexing gives your site an advantage when it comes to page ranking. Google has explicitly said that they’re favouring sites that provide mobile users with a great experience than those with little to no mobile experience at all.

If your website currently doesn’t support mobile, don’t fret. While you are potentially losing a number of customers, your Google ranking will have only have tanked a bit. This is because Google’s mobile-first indexing looks at mobile sites first, but will also take into account your desktop version.

 

To Boost SEO

 

Most of us understand the importance of practicing good SEO habits, but it’s easy to let things like “alt tags” and “keywords” slip through the cracks as we get busy. Take a look at your most important pages and make sure you’re following proper SEO techniques to ensure search engines index these pages and put them in front of potential customers.

 

To Give it a New Look

 

Maybe your website has all the right information, in all the right places. Your sitemap map is logical, your customers can find what they need at any time on desktop or mobile, and your branding is consistent on every page. In fact, you may find that your website is performing well in all of the aspects above. Instead of changing information, maybe it’s time for a website makeover if you haven’t updated the look recently.

Refreshing your look doesn’t mean you are rebranding, it simply means you want a fresher, simpler feel that shows customers your website is active and in-the-know about technology and trends. A more modern look might even help make your information stand out from the rest.

Is it time for a website refresh for your business? If you can’t invest the time to improve all of the points above, you can pick one or two to focus on.