Is Your Old Website Hurting Your Business?

Old Websites = Lost Visitors

Imagine if you opened an accounting office and when your first client showed up you whipped out an abacus to start adding up their deductions and payments?  Other than the novelty of being the only accountant who still uses an abacus, the aging adding technology would leave you looking as if you are out of touch and irrelevant.  Much the same applies to your old and outdated website as well.  When prospective clients land on your out-of-date and tired old website, you risk losing credibility, sales, and positive perceptions of your company’s abilities. 

Online Bells and Whistles = Credibility

Regardless of your line of work or your line of wares, consumer expectations are driving the need for cutting-edge websites that function across a variety of platforms, and geared for intuitive navigability.  If your online presence fails to meet these expectations, then rightly or wrongly, your credibility takes an immediate hit in there eyes.  It’s the technological equivalent of our accountant with an abacus story, after the novelty wears off, people are looking for the cutting edge technology that is going to make their buying decision easier, so that is what you need to deliver to maintain your credibility.

Lost Credibility = Lost Sales

You have undoubtedly done it yourself, so you can certainly understand the impulse associated with clicking away from a Google search mid surf because you did not like the appearance of the website.  Like everyone else, you expect bells and whistles, and the ease of which it takes to move onto the next website makes it incumbent upon the website to deliver on those expectations.  If your potential customers are moving on mid-yawn from your website then you are losing potential sales the moment they lose interest in your website.

Perception = Trust

Obviously, if you are the only game in town, then you don’t need to worry about online browsers clicking on to the next company because all internet searches will eventually lead directly back to you. However, not too many firms are in the enviable position of not having any competition, so rising above the crowd becomes a matter of survival in the battle for gaining and keeping your online audience.  The more aesthetically pleasing the website, and easier it is to use when they are out and about in search of your product, the more their perception of you will guide their buying decision.

Investing in Technology is an Investment in Customer Relations…

Many businesses put off revamping their online presence for a variety of reasons.  Whether they lack the time, budget, or work force to accomplish their task, or they simply do not recognize the need to do the improvements, an outdated website can cost you dearly in sales, opportunities, and reputation.  The truth of that matter is this: in the technologically savvy world that we find ourselves in, your would be customers are searching for your information on the go, and so you need to be ready to receive them with an optimized mobile experience that features either a responsive design, or a separate mobile site dedicated to meeting their needs.  The only thing worse than not having a website these days is having an old website that annoys your customers, so keeping up with the technology means staying ahead of the competition and making that next big sale.