Before we begin, let’s establish some facts.
Fact #1: There are no do-overs and second chances to make a good first impression.
Fact #2: Website visitors will make their decision to stay or go in a matter of seconds.
Fact #3: Search Engines like Google expect websites to be continually updated for optimal user experiences (and penalize those that don’t).
Given these facts, ask yourself, “Is my website inviting visitors to stay and buy or leave for a competitor’s site?” Be aware that your website is your business’ online presence. What does yours say about your brand? A site that visitors find hard to navigate could prompt their early departure, or a site so visually cluttered that they become confused about what to do next. If the majority of your site visitors are leaving without converting and/or that your online revenue has been slipping, your site is telling you something. These downward trending metrics could be your signal that it’s time for a major site overhaul.
Other indications that your site is no longer keeping pace with your business outlook include:
- Keyword rankings that once placed you on the first page of their respective Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) have fallen below the first 10-20 positions. Since most internet users make their decision to visit a website based on the first two SERPs pages, ranking from 21-100 is like being completely invisible.
- Is your website secure? Does it have a full site Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate? In the past only ecommerce sites needed this security, but as of July 2018 Google started marking sites as “non-secure” as a warning when a site did not install a full SSL certificate.
- Is your website responsive/mobile friendly? The majority of internet searches are performed by mobile users. In Spring 2018 Google began to factor how well a website accommodates mobile devices as part of its ranking algorithm. Does yours measure up? If not, it’s likely costing you business!
- Is your site content relevant? Will visitors find boring, dated copy or nuggets of valuable information that’ll influence them to contact and/or buy from you?
- Is your content unique? Duplicate content will never rank no matter how compelling it is.
An Economical Solution to Most Website Needs
Fortunately there are many options available to businesses of every size and every industry. For most, a WordPress site will provide the top return on your investment, regardless of the size of your site and your budget. A WordPress site can provide the site functionality you’ll need, as well as easily incorporate solutions to all of the issues bulleted above. In addition, so many design elements are available in WordPress, that you can quickly create your unique online identity.
Another plus with a WordPress site, is their Content Management System (CMS) which allows persons with little or no technical “know how” to update text and images on their sites as needed, even create new pages, without paying for the services of a web developer post launch.
Once you realize that it’s time to update your web presence, you’ll likely have a lot of questions.
“How much will this cost?” and “What do I have to do to get started?”
Just give me a call at (800) 978-3417. We’ll have a conversation about your business, your goals for it, how you think you are currently doing, and what metrics you’d like to see improve. I’ll be glad to address any concerns you might have and together we’ll chart a course to ensure your business rallies and continues to thrive.
