Having an Outdated Website Can Lose You Customers
When I was a kid, I vividly recall opening the internet for the first time. I was at a friend’s house, and he told me that his family had gotten a new computer and hooked it up to their phone line. He flipped it on, dialed in, and then sat, waiting in anticipation, while the speakers buzzed and whirred.
“Check this out,” he said. “It’s called ‘Hotmail.’”
How dumb, I thought, no one is ever going to use this.
We’ve come a long way. The days of Yahoo! GeoCities are over. Your target audience, whether you like it or not, expects a snazzy, aesthetically pleasing, and user-friendly website. And since your website is most likely the first point of interaction your target audience will have with either you or your business, you have to get it right.
How can an outdated website hurt your brand?
Say “hello” to bad impressions.
Imagine walking into a retail store or restaurant and seeing outdated carpet, smelling something from the 1980s, and hearing the drip-drop of water falling from the ceiling. I doubt you would have much confidence in either the product or the food, right? Well, given the expectations of users on the world-wide-web, your website is the same way. If a customer navigates to your website and it’s slow, ugly, or lacking in content, then they’ll leave. Why? Because they won’t trust you. It sucks, but it’s true.
Say “goodbye” to mobile visitors.
Most people use their mobile phones to surf the web, answer their random questions, and shop for stuff they don’t need on Amazon. If your website is old, however, then you can kiss all that downtime shopping goodbye. There’s nothing worse than navigating to a website that isn’t responsive to a mobile browser (well, except for real-life bad things). I hate it and, if I’m any judge of character, then your customer will too.
What’s that smell?
It’s your outdated content. It’s old and it stinks. Why? Because if your website looks like this, then your content is probably stale and irrelevant. While not always true, outdated content can turn away potential customers who, after navigating to your website, ask themselves: “Is this thing even turned on?”
Maps don’t work for the internet.
I know it’s a cool idea, but people can’t really use a map to find their way around the web. They need algorithms and search engines. But there’s a way, thankfully, to sync your website with the latest and greatest in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). But if your website is old, then there’s a good chance that you’ve fallen behind and that it’s getting harder and harder for your target customer to find you (even if they had a supernatural map that showed them all the highways and byways of the global network).
The spinning wheel of death.
You know that moment when you really, really need your computer to work but it freezes up, shuts down, and implodes? Of course, you do. Everyone does, and it’s universally disliked. Older websites have a hard time loading on modern devices if they even load at all. This is perhaps one of the best reasons to update your website. Even if you just view your website as an online business card, then you at least need to make sure that your target audience (however they got there) can find your name, number, and address.
Security, we have a problem
If you don’t regularly update your website, then you and your customer can fall prey to all kinds of scams, viruses, and breeches. Believe me, you don’t want to be on CNN talking about how the credit cards of all your customers got stolen. All press, contrary to the cliche, is not good.
So yeah, update your website
The skinny is simple. If you have a clean, optimized website, then you’ll:
1) Turn away fewer visitors
2) Convert more “window-shoppers”
3) Increase your exposure (through mobile devices)
4) Direct more customers your way
Conclusion
The reality is that you no longer have an excuse. Having an updated and current webpage is an expectation of nearly all target audiences. It’s like the “Yellow Pages” of old. So if you have an ancient website, make sure to budget for a little spring cleaning. I promise it’ll make a world of difference.
Producing original content and maintaining a digital marketing plan can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Brand Viva Media is a Denver-based marketing agency that creates custom content and marketing strategies for our clients. When you have the marketing plan you need, your brand gains exposure, customers engage more, and your business flourishes.