- CALL: 01638 563442
- The Hub at Unit 20 Park Farm Business Centre, Fornham St Genevieve, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP28 6TS
- csl@csnet.co.uk
Having a website is one thing. Having a website that still represents your business properly is another.
Businesses change over time. You might offer different services, sell different products or deal with a completely different type of customer than you did when your website was first built.
The problem is that websites don’t always change with the business.
So how do you know when your website could do with some attention? Here are seven signs worth looking out for.
1. Your website no longer reflects your business
This is probably the biggest one.
Take a look at your website as though you’re a potential customer seeing your business for the first time. Does it accurately explain what you do today?
Services get added, products change, businesses move and priorities evolve. If your website is still talking about things that were important five years ago, it may no longer be giving customers the right impression.
2. It doesn’t work well on a mobile
More and more people will see your website on a phone rather than sitting in front of a desktop computer.
That means your website needs to be easy to use on a smaller screen. Text should be readable, buttons should be easy to tap and visitors shouldn’t have to zoom in or move the page from side to side just to find what they’re looking for.
Try using your own website on your phone. If you find it frustrating, there’s a good chance your customers do too.
3. Customers struggle to find the important information
A visitor shouldn’t have to hunt around your website to find out what you do, how to contact you or how to buy from you.
Good website design isn’t about filling every available space. It’s about making the important things easy to find.
Sometimes a website has simply grown over the years, with new pages and sections added as they’re needed. Eventually, the structure can become confusing.
A refresh can be an opportunity to simplify things and make the whole site easier to use.
4. The design no longer represents your business
Website design changes, but that doesn’t mean you need to rebuild your site every time a new design trend appears.
What matters is whether your website still looks professional and appropriate for your business.
If you’ve updated your branding, changed your logo or simply grown considerably since the website was created, the site may no longer give the impression you want customers to have.
5. Making simple changes has become difficult
Updating your opening hours or changing a paragraph shouldn’t turn into a major project.
If every small alteration requires a workaround, or you’re worried that changing one thing might break something else, the website may have become unnecessarily difficult to manage.
A modern website should make routine updates straightforward.
6. Your ecommerce website makes buying harder than it should be
For an ecommerce business, the website isn’t just there to provide information — it’s your shop.
Customers should be able to browse products, understand their options, add something to their basket and complete their purchase without unnecessary complications.
If customers regularly call because they can’t find a product, don’t understand the available options or aren’t sure how to order, it may be worth looking at whether the website itself is getting in their way.
7. You’re reluctant to send people to your website
This is a surprisingly useful test.
When somebody asks about your business, are you happy to say, “Have a look at our website”?
Or do you find yourself explaining that some of the information is out of date, a particular page doesn’t work very well or that they should ignore certain parts of it?
Your website should be something you’re comfortable putting in front of a prospective customer.
No.
A website doesn’t need replacing simply because it’s a few years old. If it still represents your business well, works properly on phones and computers, is easy to navigate and does what you need it to do, there may be absolutely no reason to start again.
Equally, there comes a point where continually altering an older website isn’t necessarily the best answer.
Sometimes a refresh is enough. Sometimes rebuilding gives you a better foundation for what the business needs today.
The important thing is deciding what’s right for the business rather than replacing a website simply for the sake of having something new.
Computer Scene has been working with businesses for over 30 years.
We design and build business websites and ecommerce websites, taking the time to understand what the business actually needs rather than trying to fit every customer into the same template.
We’re based in Bury St Edmunds and work with businesses across Suffolk and the surrounding area, including Newmarket, Mildenhall, Red Lodge and Ipswich.
If you’re wondering whether your existing website could do with a refresh, or you’re considering a completely new website, we’re always happy to have an initial chat.
Call us on 01638 563342
The Hub at Unit 20 Park Farm Business Centre,
Fornham St Genevieve,
Bury St Edmunds,
Suffolk IP28 6TS
(By Appointment Only)
Company No 09288340
09:00 Am - 5:00 Pm
09:00 Am - 4:30 Pm
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