WEBSITE RENOVATION
Way back in the beginning of time, like 1995, websites were little more than “electronic brochures.” Today, they’re the central hub for information about your company, your industry and your customer’s needs.
If your website is more than seven or eight years old, chances are it’s obsolete for today’s Internet.
And, it’s probably been years since you talked to your web designer (if he or she is even still in business) about upgrading your site. Here are some critical questions to answer in evaluating whether your website should be renovated:
Has your site been created using the latest, most flexible code? Those early website designs were written in HTML, which was fine for its day. There’s much better architecture out there now.
Is your site optimized for search? If it was created more than seven years ago, it probably isn’t. The Internet is a buyer’s medium. If they can’t find you, what’s your website good for?
Does your website automatically interface with social media sites like Twitter and Facebook? Social media is one of the most powerful and effective ways to drive traffic to your site.
Does your site have a content management system (CMS)? If you have to call your web designer to make updates to your site, the answer is, probably not.
Your website is the primary place where meaningful transactions take place with your customers. What’s a meaningful transaction?
- A sale
- A reservation
- A qualified lead
- An inquiry
The demand for information is constant. Every hour of every minute of every day, someone is searching the Internet for something you’re selling. The faster and more completely you can provide your visitors with the information they want, the better the odds they will engage in a meaningful transaction with you.
The Internet of today—and, especially, of tomorrow—demands all these different systems work together. They must be functionally integrated (fancy talk for work together) to be the most effective.
But, maintaining these multiple communications systems takes time, energy and creativity. If you’re a small or medium-sized business, you probably don’t have enough of all three to devote to keeping your website and social media presence active and up-to-date.
Creating a system with a single place to update and distribute information to all relevant platforms will save you time and money.
Nearly every business needs a website that works, not only within the current Internet system, but also with new systems that will be developed in the future. A customized content management system is an effective way of dealing with the volatility of social media, mobile media, video and promotions.
Take a look at your website from a slightly different perspective. If you find it lacking, call us for a consultation. We’ll come up with a design and a plan to make your online investment deliver what you really want: new customers.
