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Are you embarrassed by your website?

The business case for having a good website packed with valuable content is very strong. Many people now realise that 60% of a sale happens before clients get in touch (or don’t — as the case may be). Your website plays an increasingly important part in the path to new business.

But it’s often sheer embarrassment that finally flicks the switch between “we really must get round to doing something about our website” to “we need to do it NOW”.

Worse than driving away potential leads (who we’ll never meet and can therefore ignore), a poor website makes it difficult to look our best amongst people we respect and want to do business with.

Having an embarrassing website is like having a really messy house. You just don’t want to bring people back there. Ring any bells?

Here are six signs that you’re embarrassed by your website:

1.Like the spooky house on the corner, no one’s touched your website in years. It’s creaking at the seams. You daren’t even look in some places. It feels like it’s covered in cobwebs. If you dig too deep a skeleton will fall out of a cupboard or a bat will fly in your face.

2.It’s like a ghost ship. Your website is haunted by the ghosts of people who left the company months ago, and the spectre of ideas you’ve moved on from. You’d change it if you could, only changing anything is so difficult, so you just avoid sending people to it.

3.There’s no room at the inn. Look, you’d like to add some new content, but where’s it going to go? Your website isn’t a house, it’s a tiny caravan, and there’s no space for anything else. It’s just not up to the job. 4.You’ve lost the plot. There are so many words but no one understands what you’re saying. Your website just doesn’t make it clear what you do. (In fact, you’re so mired in the wrong words that you’re finding it hard to explain it too).

5.Your website looks like it was decorated by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen c.1993. Web fashions change. If too much frippery detracts from your message or the design gets in the way it just feels wrong. If your website fees like a rag rolling disaster, or a gold spray painted cherub fiasco, you’ll want people to stay well away.

6.It has childhood bedroom syndrome. Your business is growing. You’ve changed. You’re clear what you offer, and how you help your clients but your website hasn’t caught up. Taking people back to the website is like trying to have a serious business conversation in a room decorated in Noddy wallpaper. You’ll do anything to avoid it.

If this sounds like your website, then it’s time to take action.

10 more reasons why you need a new website

Still not convinced you need a new website? Here’s 10 more ways of knowing for sure if you need a redesign.

• Your footer says “Last Updated June 1999”, that’s fairly self explanatory.
• You have a contact us link with a large animated rotating envelope icon.
  They may have been popular in the mid 90′s but that was 10 years ago. And if you have one of those “under construction” images with a flashing roadwork sign then don’t bother reading on, you need a new site now!
• You’re using frames. Bad for usability, bad for accessibility and bad for search engine friendliness.
• Your footer says “Designed for Internet Explorer” or “Best viewed at 800×600 resolution”. Don’t discriminate against certain users, your site should work no matter what browser your visitors is using. You wouldn’t have a sign on your shop door saying”Best viewed by people wearing blue jackets”.
• You have the <blink> tag somewhere in your code, annoyingly used in the 90′s
• You have a visible hit counter telling your visitors they are the 43rd visitor since 1999. Why are you giving away valuable marketing information to your competitors, why do they need to know how successful or not your site is. Statistics are great but should be for your eyes not your visitors.
• Your images are all bmp files and take ages to load even on broadband. Optimise your images as jpg, gif or png files to make your site load faster and don’t use unnecessary images just for the sake of it.
• You’ve got background music… why? You’ll probably have lost half of your visitors within about 2 seconds.
• You have an icon telling visitors you won a “best homepage” award from some unknown company.
• Your website is hosted with Geocities or an alternative “free” host who are so kind they’ve given you some “free” webspace and all you have to do is include a whole load of popups and ad banners. Don’t do it.
  

We here at NEDC would never say you need a new website if you do not need one. What you will get from us is the truth as to whether or not the site is in need of a spring clean, an update, optimising or whether it is perfect the way it is. If you would like to receive a free review of your site, then please contact us here.

1. Your company’s online image is stale. Does your site look like it’s stuck in the 90s? Guess what: everyone will assume your company is, too. Show off your new products, services and projects. You want people to know you’re doing well, staying current, and growing. Have you created a new logo, had a big anniversary, or just realized you’re sick and tired of looking at your site? Get up to date and celebrate your newness, your milestones and your fresh outlook with a sharp, current website.

2. Your web copy and image are no longer aimed at your target market. Your target may be changing, and you have to change ahead of them or you risk getting left behind. A new look and content make sure you’re speaking to the people you want to attract now.

3. Your website is all about you and not your customer. If this sounds backwards to you, you’re way behind the curve. They don’t want to just read about what you can do; they want to know what.

4. You need to attract attention. Have you checked your web stats lately to see if anyone’s paying attention? Fresh material and a fresh look get more attention. They keep your current visitors interested, and you’ll generate new traffic, too.

5. You want to use the web to expand the way you do business. Offer online discounts, new offerings, new ideas or concepts, online merchandise, etc. You can start to market using social networks, and launch new media campaigns.

6. Your competition’s looking new, and you’re not. At the very least, you want to keep up with others in your field. Better: stay ahead of them. A new, cleaner look shows you can keep up with the latest in your industry the way you say you can. You want to be the business everyone sees as the leader. You’ll inspire confidence, always a great place to start.

7. You’re losing your audience. Technology is changing every day, and the needs of your clients are changing as well. You have to meet that need and stay current, or risk getting left in the technological dust. Your fans (and potential fans) want blog entries, a social media presence and relevant content from you. Remember, you’re here to meet their needs.

8. Your search engine ranking is dropping fast. Search engines like Google have new and changing search criteria, some of it in the last 6 months. If your site doesn’t meet the new standards, your rankings will plummet (maybe they have already…?) Get higher rankings with new content, new code and new search engine optimization (SEO).

9. Your site isn’t mobile-friendly. Mobile web use is skyrocketing. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly site, you risk alienating a whole generation of smartphone users. This is crucial.

10. Your site isn’t interactive. Today’s marketing has changed. It’s not about telling people what you have (or what you think they want). It’s about engaging them. Do you have ways for viewers to comment on your content? Give you direct feedback? If your site is all one way (you talking at them), you’re losing half the conversation. Get a dialogue going. Start by giving them more ways to comment, express, talk, respond and question.

Think it’s too expensive to update your site very often? Not anymore. A new site can give you an easy way to make updates as often as you need to, right from your office. These days, content is king, so you need to continually update the information on your website every week, every month, all year round. People (and by the way, search engines) respond best to new and changing content.

Time to take action! If you’re nodding at any combination of the above, then it’s time. Time to work with an experienced web company that knows how to engage consumers. Not sure where to start? Contact us and we can help guide you with solutions to your website problems.