With 2020 still young, its time to look at performing some tasks to ensure your business runs smoothly through the rest of the year. Part of making sure that there are no self-inflicted wounds to your business is by taking stock of your website. Not sure you should start 2020 with maintenance to your website? Here are five reasons to start 2020 with maintenance to your website.
Security
If maintenance to your website’s security is lacking, then you could leave your company open to disaster. If you have an older website and have not regularly updated, you probably have some security holes. Not having the back door of your site locked means that hackers can walk right in. You not only put your information at risk but those of your customers. Hackers can threaten each of your customers to release either their financial, medical, or personal information to the public if they don’t receive ransom for them. Speaking of ransom, you could be locked out of your site unless you pay a hacker to let you in, which is always costly. There are more ways hackers can cause you problems like spamming, and clickjacking; you may not discover these issues until its too late. So, if you have not updated your website recently, you need to right away.
Bad User Experience (UX)
If you are using the same version of your website you’ve had for 15 years, then there is a good chance your customers are going to have a bad experience. Yes, you’re consistent, but not in a good way. Part of maintenance is user experience.
Customers expect a certain level of convenience when using a website. This point is especially true of e-commerce sites. In fact, if you make it challenging to do things like product searches, then you will have a higher bounce rate. Slower reaction times from your site and pixilated graphics will not translate into sales. Even if your business is not e-commerce based, your branding will be damaged by having an outdated website. It makes no sense to use the same site from years ago when it comes to your brand. Hiring a qualified agency to design a new, user experience-driven website can benefit both your brand and sales.
Slower Speed
If you fail to update your website or have one that is older than the smartphone, you are going to have slower load speeds. Why does load speed matter? Because with each passing year, the amount of time a user is willing to wait drops lower. Right now, according to multiple studies, users are only willing to wait for three seconds. If you are using a website that takes upwards of five seconds to load, then you are going to have higher bounce rates. For e-commerce based business, longer wait times means lower conversion rates. If online sales are the lifeblood of your business, you need to ensure quick load times.
Lost Time and Money
When you spend time on fixing problems with an outdated site, you lose time and money. Productivity that could be better used elsewhere is expended on your antiquated website. In order to get your site working again, hours or even days may be spent loading updates. All the time spent on updating your site means lost time and lost sales.
Need Help With Your Outdated Website?
Don’t show the world a website that belongs in the dustbin, show them a vivid, user-friendly sight. Mosier Data can bring your site into the 2020s with attention-grabbing graphics and content. If you are interested in updating your website, call us or fill out our online contact form. One of our staff will contact you to discuss upgrading your website. Don’t keep that old site a minute longer!