Is Your Website Stuck In The 80’s?

by Tim H.


Lately we have seen a bit of a retro resurgence, with 80’s fashion and music trends coming back strong. But unfortunately, when it comes to the web, having a vintage website isn’t so cool. 

If your business has a website that is visually or technologically outdated, it will cause you to lose out on a huge chunk of potential customers. Your website is often the first point of contact for customers who are considering if they want to do business with you. And if you’re not careful, they could easily get the impression that your business is outdated and stuck in the 80’s.

Of course the first website wasn’t actually invented until 1991, by British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee. But the technology we use to build websites is constantly changing, causing websites to quickly become outdated. This is why it is so important to consistently update a business’s website, and why we often recommend a full website overhaul every 3-5 years. 

In this article I will outline what factors cause a website to become visually or technologically outdated, and how to determine if your website is in need of updating.

Outdated Functionality 

First let’s take a look at 3 common ways that the functionality of the technology used by your website could be limiting the reach and impact of your website.

  1. Mobile Responsive

Today upwards of 50% of website traffic is from people using a mobile phone device, so if a website is not optimized for mobile phones, this is a sign that the website is extremely outdated. Trying to use a website that is not mobile responsive on your phone is so difficult, to the point that most people will give up and find another company to work with. Mobile responsive support is the bare minimum for modern websites.

  1. Load Speed

Another major sign that a website is outdated is if it takes longer than 2 seconds to load. Today we have grown accustomed to extremely quick exchanges of data on the web. Most people simply dont have the patience or attention span to wait for a slow website. According to Kissmetrics analytics, “40 percent of consumers will abandon a website that takes more than three seconds to load”. So long load time is not just an inconvenience, it will drastically limit the reach of a website. 

  1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

One of the primary reasons why “load speed” or “mobile responsiveness” are so important is because they directly affect how high the website will show up on Search Engines like Google. Google is constantly monitoring these factors for every website, and ranking websites in searches according to their quality. This is why search engine optimization (or SEO) is so incredibly important, because websites like Google are by far the primary way people find businesses online today. If a website is outdated technologically then Google will limit it from ever being found in the first place.

Outdated Visually

Now let’s discuss how visual design of your website could cause your website to be confusing or losing potential customers.

  1. Outdated Photos & Style

Probably the most obvious, but often overlooked reason to update your website is because it is dated looking. Design trends are constantly changing, so it’s important to consider if the photos, colors, fonts or graphics are presenting your brand in the best way possible. Because, let’s face it, people will always judge a book by its cover. It’s just human nature. This is why it is so vitally important that your website represents your company and your brand in a way that is professional and modern. 

  1. Cluttered Design

Another common reason why websites become outdated visually is when the design is cluttered and overwhelming to the eyes. People need information broken down into bite size chunks in order to be able to skim through and quickly understand it. In today’s digital marketing climate, sometimes all we have is a matter of seconds to create a good first impression with a potential customer. The average user will spend less than 15 seconds on a website before clicking, swiping, or leaving. That’s why It’s so vital that every user is able to quickly understand what you do, how to do business with you, and why they need to choose your company. Otherwise they will probably go somewhere else.

  1. No Clear Call to Action

Maybe the appearance of your website is good enough, but your website still is not converting prospects into leads or customers. If so, it might be time to consider redesigning your landing page to have a clear call to action directing the user to make contact with your company. On top of that, your website needs to be set up with a sales funnel to generate consistent leads. It doesn’t really matter how nice and trendy your site looks if it isn’t effectively set up to convert leads.

Is It Time To Invest In Your Website?

If your website needs help with any of these six critical issues, it might be time to consider if you need to redesign. Our team at bizmktg.com is well equipped to help you with redesigning your website. 

Book a free consultation today to learn more about how an effectively designed website can significantly boost your business.

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