Why a Dated Website Hurts Your Business

Introduction

Nowadays, any business that doesn’t have an online presence is far behind the times. But it’s not enough to simply have a website. The internet is changing and evolving every single day, and your website has to evolve with it, or people will pass your site right by. Users can tell an outdated site from a modern one, and studies show that 55% of website visitors spend less than 15 seconds on a company’s website. That’s how long you have to make a good impression. And if you don’t, you’re losing valuable sales every single day.

The items below (though not exhaustive) will help you identify what makes a site outdated and how it hurts your business.

Old-School Design (and Not in a Fun, Hip Way)

Your design says a lot about your website. For starters, it’s the first thing people will notice about your site and, as was stated earlier, you have only a few seconds to make a good impression. We’ve all seen an outdated web design and cringed, meaning we all know what one looks like. Don’t let your site be the cringe-worthy one!

How It Hurts

An outdated design makes it look like you don’t care about your business, and that you’re technologically challenged, unable to make the necessary changes. Worse, it could raise suspicions that there are other parts of your business equally outdated.

Not only does unkempt website design make your business look bad, it lowers your chance of appearing in web searches. Google takes into account site updates and “content freshness” when ranking search results. (More on SEO later.)

Lack of Testimonials and Reviews

Roughly 91% of customers use online reviews to determine whether or not they want to use a product or service. If they don’t see any reviews about your business, it will likely make them wonder what you’re hiding.

How It Hurts

If people can’t read reviews from other customers just like them about your business, they can’t get a good sense of what it’s really like to work with you. They’re going to instead opt for a business that to them seems more credible and open about its performance.

Not only do customers pay attention to online reviews when ranking your business, so does Google. The search engine prioritizes companies with lots of good reviews over ones with no reviews or even just a few reviews. The more reviews you post, the closer to the top of the search results page you get.

Outdated Software and Security Features

Security features become more and more sophisticated all the time. They often require frequent updates to give you access to their latest features. The same goes for vendor platforms like PayPal. They’re often updating their services to make online payments easier and more reliable.

How it Hurts

If you’re not up to date on your cyber security and payment software, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to hackers and viruses. Not only could this result in legal troubles if customers’ information is stolen, it could leave you unable to process payments if your site goes down or users get too frustrated with an outdated or overcomplicated checkout process.

Book Carrboro Creative Today

At Carrboro Creative, we design 100% customized WordPress sites to fit your business’s needs. Our process is simple, straightforward, and personable. We’ll talk with you about your vision for your site, allow for multiple rounds of revisions as we hone in on your perfect design, and train you on how to update and maintain your site yourself. We even offer site maintenance packages on a monthly basis. Get in touch with us today to get a free quote. Start building your online presence the right way with Carrboro Creative.