Website life-cycles vary as technology advances. What was state-of-the-art 5 years ago can look ancient today. And while the prospect of refreshing your website may seem daunting, businesses must be willing to objectively evaluate their sites and determine what changes need to be made.

We’ve put together a list of 7 red flags that indicate your website may need some work, anywhere from minor tweaks to a major overhaul.

1. Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly

Having a non-mobile website is the digital equivalent of a CLOSED sign in your front window. But don’t just take our word for it. Joost de Valk, CEO and founder of Yoast SEO, recently stated that, “not having a mobile-friendly site is like taking a knife to a gunfight” during a presentation at WordCamp US.  Mobile internet traffic has already eclipsed desktop/laptop and continues to trend upward. Your website MUST provide a mobile-friendly experience. This can be achieved through re-designing your site to respond to all screen sizes, or adding mobile-specific coding that generates a separate, mobile-friendly design.

2. It’s Difficult To Add Content To Your Site

If you can’t easily update or maintain your website, you should consider using a content management system (CMS). WordPress is by far the most popular, but there are also other options available such as Magento, Drupal, Joomla and more. A CMS will allow you to manage your website easily and effectively without the need for additional software or coding knowledge. However, this is usually not something that can be incorporated into an existing site and should be addressed with a complete re-design.

We believe WordPress is the best choice to manage our site and yours. To learn more, take a look at our blog post, Why We Build Websites With WordPress.

3. High Bounce Rate

A high bounce rate, especially on your home page, indicates that potential customers are not getting a good impression from your website. This could mean that they don’t like what they see, or are unable to quickly find what they’re looking for. You can opt for a full-site redesign, or just focus on the pages that drive sales (ie. Home page, product listings, etc.). You might also try simplifying your site’s navigation menu.

While re-strategizing, take a look at our blog post on How To Avoid Overwhelming Website Visitors.

4. Slow-Loading Website

As connectivity speeds increase, patience decreases. If your site takes forever to load, you will lose potential customers. Fixing this depends on how your website was built, but speed improvements can generally be achieved through image compression, content optimization and caching.

You can check your site’s speed using speed tests like Google PageSpeed, GTMetrix or Pingdom, but we highly recommend looking over our recent blog post, What You Need To Know About Website Speed Tests, to help guide you through the results.

5. Stale Content

How old is the content on your website? Did you know that Google favors new and refreshed content when it ranks websites? Even if you have the perfect text right where you want it, the age of your content can still have a negative impact. But fixing this doesn’t require full re-writes. Try rephrasing some of your content and including relevant keywords, especially those that will help organic search results.

If you need some help putting together content for your website, take a look at our blog post, Writing Effective Website Copy.

6. No Social Media Links

The business of the web now revolves around social media. Customers use social media to connect with you, and also to talk about your brand while engaging others. Make sure you provide a link to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also add Pin It buttons for quick Pinterest sharing.

While developing your social media presence, be sure to look at our recommended Social Media Strategies and Social Media Mistakes To Avoid.

7. Your Site Looks Outdated

Your site will be judged on how old it looks, plain and simple. And, because your site is a reflection of your company, an outdated website will provide a negative impression of you. Depending on how much needs to be changed, this may require a complete re-design. However, simply modernizing your site’s buttons and call-to-action areas, as well as adding visual guides, can make a big impact.

Ultimately, your website is an investment. Like any return on investment calculation, website ROI is based on the cost and the results. We can help you evaluate your website and develop a plan to make the most of your budget.