6 Reasons To Update Your Website - Benefits 2024
How often should a website be updated, and what are the benefits?
Have you ever wondered if there's a rule of thumb for how often a company's website should be updated? In this article, we'll explore several advantages of updating your company's website.
If you already know your website has shortcomings and you're eager for a completely new one, get in touch with us. We'll assist you throughout the entire process, from design to launch, at a fixed price!
6 Resons / Benefits With Updating Your Website
1 - Google will love you - SEO
Unfortunately, you can't charm Google with chocolates and flowers, but a really good website frequently updated with quality content is the path to Google's heart!
One of the common tactics to keep your website updated and climb Google's rankings is to have a blog updated frequently with quality content.
It's crucial that the content is something someone would actually want to engage with and has a deeper purpose. Just creating news for the sake of it doesn't have a direct winning effect!
A rule of thumb we often use is to ask yourself: "Would I find this worth reading?" If the answer is yes, you probably have a good topic to write about!
2 - Become the best in your industry - Stand out among competitors
Believe it or not, it's not very common to keep websites very updated. It often becomes one of those things that fall through the cracks, and we think, "I'll do it tomorrow instead."
But this presents a huge opportunity for you as a reader! If you take charge of updating your website frequently, you can quickly surpass your competitors online.
Would you like some tips on what to update or how to proceed? Contact us, and we'll conduct a free site audit and provide tips & tricks!
3 - Improve website speed - User-friendliness
Having a fast website isn't just good for Google; it's also beneficial for the users of the site. We've all visited websites where everything loads too slowly, and we become impatient and frustrated.
You can improve the speed of your website by working on it continuously. Here are two examples of how you can enhance your website's speed:
- Upload all images in WebP format (A specific format optimized for the web).
- Try uploading images in the actual size they're meant to be displayed in.
Are you curious about your website's performance? Use this tool and paste your company's URL to see how your website performs:
4 - Use the website as a team player - Integrations
If it's been a while since you updated/built your website, chances are your business has evolved since the day you created your website.
If this is the case, there's a good chance that you can improve your business's efficiency with new integrations to the website that make your daily operations easier and save a lot of time!
5 - Receive feedback and adapt the website accordingly
One of the best methods to know what you might need to change/add to your website is to ask your existing customers.
What do they think is the best thing about your business that makes them choose to consume from you?
If they mention an aspect that isn't currently on the website, we'd definitely say that's something to consider adding to the site!
6 - Try replacing stock images with original content
It's quite common to build a new website with a lot of stock images. We always tell our clients that it's perfectly okay to launch a website with stock images, but over time, it's good to try and replace these with original material.
Having original content on a website is a strength; it leads to a more unique and genuine experience. We've all visited a website and smirked a bit because we recognize a stock image.
P.S. For those of us who work in web development daily, this smirk happens very often! 😁
Rebuilding the Entire Website or Just Updating Texts & Images?
Deciding whether to update the entire website or just its content can be challenging. Below, we'll list some indicators that suggest the whole website might need renovation and what type of content we recommend updating continuously.
Indications that the entire website might need a revamp:
1 - You're not proud of the website
If you don't feel that your website accurately represents your brand/company, it's likely time for a complete update. Having an outdated website can harm your brand and break the trust that a good website should inspire. Especially today, a good website is crucial for making a serious impression on potential contacts/customers. It could be a deciding factor in whether someone reaches out to collaborate with you or not!
Curious about how we build websites? You can read about our process here!
If your website resembles something like this, it's definitely time for a new one!
2 - Things aren't functioning properly
A website with functional issues is never a positive thing. It could be buttons not leading anywhere or the site not working well on phones and various screen sizes. We've all experienced websites with clear functional issues, and we're sure everyone has felt a certain level of frustration in those situations.
If you're wondering whether your website has any issues, we can conduct a free site audit and review your website! Contact us to start an evaluation of your website.
3 - The website is built on an outdated platform
If your website is built on an older platform, it might be worth considering the possibilities of switching. For instance, we recommend everyone to move away from Wordpress and try new platforms that offer significantly better products.
If you're curious about alternatives to Wordpress, you can read our previous post on why Webflow is the best option for building a new website in 2023. Read about it here!
Content that you should update continuously:
- Blog/News - Aim to write this once a week.
- Various texts - Ensure that the texts align with the current business and don't provide incorrect information.
- Images - Updating images can make the website feel fresh and provide a new experience for returning visitors.
How we can assist you
The purpose of this article is not to persuade you to rebuild your website. Instead, we want to help you make a decision that benefits your business.
If you have an existing website and are unsure whether to rebuild it entirely or identify its flaws, we're here to help! Contact us, and we'll review your website, providing feedback on improvement points. This service is completely free and without obligation!
If you're curious about our website building process, you can read about it here.
Want some inspiration and to see 10 really sleek and modern startup websites? Read about it here.