Your website is a vital marketing tool. It’s the virtual front door to your organization, communicating your brand’s mission, values, and purpose.
Your website is also a living, breathing thing. The question is, how often should your website be updated?
- Website blog content should be updated regularly to keep it fresh and engaging for visitors. If key web page information changes, update the copy accordingly.
- Website design and photography usually needs to be refreshed every few years to stay relevant.
- Optimizing the functionality and user experience should be an ongoing effort to ensure the website is usable for all audiences.
Is now the time to update your website? Here are three clear signs to look for:
#1: Dated Design
It’s a fact: Design trends and standards evolve over time. Is your website keeping up? Maybe it’s time to refresh the typefaces, color scheme, or layout of your site to keep it fresh, engaging, and aligned with your brand.
Photography is another aspect of web design that can become dated. If you’re using photos of real customers and employees on your site, you’ll want to keep track of their status with your brand. If something changes (such as having a negative experience or leaving the company), it may not be appropriate to continue using their image.
Even if you’re using stock photography, you should revisit it regularly to ensure it still accurately represents your target audience. Another tip is to pay attention to details depicted in stock photography that need to be updated over time, like technology and clothing styles.
#2: Poor User Experience (UX)
A website that’s hard to use can create an instant negative impression of your brand. Indicators of poor UX can include:
- High bounce rates
- Low conversion rates
- Slow page loading times
- Confusing navigation
- Lack of mobile responsiveness.
Keep in mind that a user-friendly website is also important for search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines favor websites that deliver a high-quality experience and helpful, relevant content to users.
#3: Accessibility Issues
Speaking of user experience, an accessible website is not a “nice-to-have.” It’s a legal requirement that ensures your web content is readily accessible and usable by the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.
If your website has common accessibility issues, such as poor color contrast or lack of descriptive ALT text for images, you’re turning away individuals with disabilities and putting your business at risk for potential fines and lawsuits.
When we’re designing websites at Ohlmann Group, we focus on accessibility from the start. It’s not just a best practice; it’s the right thing to do! We can even audit your current website for accessibility issues and take action to correct them.
Ready to Reimagine Your Web Presence?
Thinking about refreshing or redesigning your website? Whether you need an attractive micro-site or a robust, complex website, we can help!
Fill out our contact form to request more information about our Dayton-based web design capabilities.
