12 Oct 5 reasons why you should update your website
We’re just going to say it: Websites are never finished. They are your ever-changing digital anchor, growing and evolving as your business grows and evolves. And, that is a good thing. Because, stagnant websites are a dis-service to your business properly.
There are MANY reasons why we feel this way, too many to cover in one brief. So here are our top five reasons why you should update your website.
1. SEO penalties from Google algorithm updates
One of the most important reasons to update is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) This is how search engines find you.
Google is constantly updating its algorithms to provide users with better search results. As a result of this, the SEO methods that may have been used in the past can now hurt your search rankings. In fact, Google has always been one step ahead of the SEO community when it comes to naming these updates. Their algorithms consist of different parts all designed to deliver better search results.
In the past Google has cutely named their algorithms after animals. For example, Panda, Penguin and Payday are used to fight spam. Pigeon is used to improve local search results.
They also use appropriately named methods: Top Heavy is designed to demote ad-heavy pages, and Mobile Friendly is the part that rewards mobile-friendly pages.
The point is, all of these algorithms are updated frequently. And, SEO techniques have to be adapted to ensure you get the best results for your business. Failing to update your SEO techniques can result in SEO penalties and see your website actually demoted in the rankings.
2. Missing out on social media interaction
A big part of Google’s algorithm uses social media. The rationale here is if you’re a legitimate business you’ll be using social media to help promote your services and interact with your customers. Google uses social media, hashtags and the interactions you have with your clients to improve your search ranking.
If your website does not currently include social media integration, get it added!
3. Failing to serve mobile visitors
Another big part of the Google’s updated algorithm is mobile-friendly design. This makes sense, given that over 80% of internet users use their smartphone to browse, and if they land upon a website that doesn’t work on mobile, they’re likely to leave!
So, having your website function nicely on a mobile device will not only improve your rankings but also help your customer interaction and retention.
4. Wasting precious time and money updating an old static HTML site or one with a poor CMS
Okay, we know that this sounds overly ‘techy’ so let us break it down:
HTML is the coding language that powers the majority of web pages on the Internet. A CMS (content management system) is a software platform which is powered by a database and provides users with an easy to use interface to create and maintain a website
Both HTML and CMS can impact the user functionality of your site. They also impact the swiftness of your site. Both Google and potential customers hates slow sites. A slow site can actually drive customers away, as people are accustomed to faster and more efficient web experiences than older sites run on dated HTML or CMS can deliver.
CMSs have become faster and more compact as updated and newer code has come out. Old CMS systems take up a lot more space and are harder to navigate than the newer versions. So, we would recommend having a thorough website health check to ensure your CMS is running as efficiently as possible.
5. Security holes from outdated scripts
If you are using an older CMS, it is very likely there are now security holes in the script and code leaving your website vulnerable to attacks.
This is not because the code or website was built incorrectly, but because hackers have found a way to get into technology and code that was safe and state-of-the-art, even two or three years ago.
The bottom line
Updating your website may seem like a daunting task. We get it. Updates take time and a certain amount of understanding which you may not have. But, there are a lot of benefits that come with a fresh site, including better search engine rankings, increased security and a far superior customer experience.
Updating your website will also allow you to take advantage of newer technologies and added features that may not have been possible when your site was first designed.
At Snippets Development, we are passionate about helping small businesses make a big impact online. This is why we have developed ‘Snippets’, our very own CMS, designed to suit you and to make adding new content to your website simple and straightforward.
So, what are you waiting for get in touch today for a FREE website evaluation today.