In the past, when a printed brochure was the dominate method of telling prospects about your business, you could design and print it and not have to worry about updating it for several years. Today, websites are the main communication tool for many businesses. Unlike a printed brochure, websites require constant upkeep. Content is king with Google and the behemoth search engine rewards websites that regularly add new content.

But even if you are regularly posting fresh new content, your website may not be performing well and could benefit from some updates or complete overhaul. The biggest reason companies need to update their website is not so much about design, but really about programming. Internet technology, browsers and user devices are constantly changing. The reality is that as soon as a new site is launched, the programming used to create it is becoming dated. It’s just like buying a new car. The moment you drive it off the lot, the car loses value.

• Responsive Is Required
• Nearly 20% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. Mobile device users, who are looking at websites on their phones and tablets, want the same ease of use and ability to navigate quickly. A responsively programmed website intuitively changes display configuration based on the type of device the viewer is using. If your site isn’t responsive you're not only getting penalized by the Google algorithm, but you’re probably also losing visitors, who are frustrated by a desktop only site.
• Don’t Abandon Your Brand To Fleeting Design Fads
• Just like Paris fashions, website design fads come and go. Don’t just blindly follow the latest “orange is the new black” design mantra and lose your carefully developed brand image in the process. If your business has mature brand, you can freshen up your site with some of the new landing page trends or call to action initiatives, but be sure that they are adapted to your specific brand image.
• Make Sure You Curate Your Website
• The biggest blunder you can make with any website is believing that it’s a “set it and forget it” proposition. Imagine if you had the famous “Tanked” fish guys set up a 1,000 gallon salt water fish tank in your office. You spared no expense; developed a great design concept; filled the tank with an exotic array of colorful fish. And then…you did nothing else with the tank. You didn’t bother to feed the fish, much less clean the tank. How long would it take before all that effort turned into a stinking mess? Same is true for your website. It’s a living breathing organism that must be fed, nurtured and regularly maintained.
• Get Rid Of The Dead Wood
• Putting a pretty shell on the same old content won’t magically draw hordes of visitors to your website. One key to properly curating website content is to realize that not everything must stay on the site forever. Eliminate the dead wood and remove content that has become dated or is no longer relevant. You’ll need to be careful that you don’t have any internal or external links to the content before you trim.
• Review Your Site’s Navigation
• If your traffic reports indicate that users aren’t finding content, you may need to revisit your site navigation. Ideally, visitors should be able to access the information they need in a just a few clicks. Websites that have been online for some time tend to fall into the “cluttered closet syndrome.” Over the years, new content was added, but no one was paying attention to how it fit into the site’s existing sections. Everything just got stuffed wherever and then the site becomes more and more difficult for visitors to find information.