Think of a website as a first handshake.
A firm handshake with confident eye contact makes a great impression. Flimsy, clammy handshakes don’t inspire confidence and can lose a sale.
Does your website inspire confidence, credibility and trust?
Put yourself in your prospects’ shoes and evaluate your website based on this 7-step checklist. If you recognize any of these warning signs, it’s time for an immediate change.
1. It doesn’t resonate with your audience
A website should be designed with the ideal customer profile in mind. This allows customers to be targeted through key phrases, inbound and outbound marketing tactics. Websites shouldn’t be an online brochure, they should engage browsers and keep them coming back for more.
2. It’s not mobile friendly
Customers are always on the go, and your website should be too. Think about your own habits and how often you use a phone or tablet to browse the internet. If customers are required to pinch and zoom in on your website, chances are they’ll find another site to visit. Responsive websites automatically adjust to fit all devices. Plus, Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher on search results!
3. Site speed is slow
A first impression is made in under five seconds and those five seconds shouldn’t be spent waiting on the page to load. According to Google Data, if a website takes longer than three seconds to load, you risk losing 53% of visitors. The average online visitor only spends two minutes on site—don’t make them wait!
4. The website ranks poorly on search engines
Search keywords and phrases related to your industry, now examine the page 1 results. Do you click on the top result or scroll to the bottom and pick the last option? It’s extremely important to have a search optimized website that prospects can readily find.
5. Graphically dated
Prospective customers want to see recent work, not outdated graphics, old pictures and stale content. A website should be modern, visually appealing, easy to navigate, and most importantly, better than your competitors. Redesigning your website will raise the perception and trustworthiness of your company.
6. The bounce rate is too high
If visitors aren’t resonating with the website content, it’s possible that it is outdated or the load time is painfully slow. In these cases, they’ll “bounce.” The bounce rate is the percentage of users who visit a site and leave after only viewing one web page. A bounce rate under 50% is ideal.
7. Old, Older, Oldest
Keep it new and keep it fresh. Websites should be redesigned every 3-4 years. Blogs and news articles should be updated every month. Current events should reflect what’s upcoming, not what occurred two years ago. Google and other major search engines want to share dynamic and active websites. Regularly updated sites help improve search engine rankings.
Take the next steps into your hands and update your online presence. View samples of Gotham Industrial Marketing’s gallery of US-built website designs for manufacturers, or request a quote.