Kelly Jean Forrest — October 25, 2019 Your business’s new website has been up and running a few months, and you’ve started noticing that certain descriptions are no longer accurate. But you just did a website redesign—do you really need to update your website already?
The most simple answer to the question of how often you should update your website is: as often as it needs updating. Minor website updates might be made every day, whereas a full website revamp might come every two to three years. As long as your answer to this question isn’t “never,” you’re off to a great start.
Website updates come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on your goals or priorities, updating your website might be as simple as optimizing some of your historic blog posts for featured snippets or listicles—or it could be as comprehensive as a complete rebrand.
No matter the scope, each update you make to your website should be an improvement and work toward the goal of bettering the user experience.
How Do I Know if My Website Needs to Be Updated?
Technology moves fast.
Google is constantly changing and updating the way its algorithm works to improve search results. What was considered a modern and cutting-edge look and feel for a website two years ago is completely different today.
Information changes, employees change, business goals may change, design trends change, everything changes.
If you’re not sure whether your website needs an update (whether that means a minor tweak or a complete revamp), here are a couple of key indications that you could benefit from updating your website.
5 Signs That It’s Time to Update Your Website:
1. Your Website Is Missing Information
When visitors come to your website, they should be able to find all of the information they are looking for and then some. If your current website is missing the mark in this area, it may have a negative impact on your business.
Your website should be an accurate reflection of your business and serve as a resource for users at all stages of the Buyer’s Journey. You want to make sure every user that comes to your site has a great experience and walks away (or clicks away) with all of the information about your company that they need.
2. Your Brand Has Evolved
Whether you’ve recently gone through a company rebrand and want to show off that amazing new logo, or you’ve expanded your services and product offerings over time, your website needs to reflect that.
Your website is similar to your personal style. Over time, it evolves, and you figure out what trends suit you best, what works for you, and what doesn’t work.
3. You Aren’t Excited to Show Off Your Website
You should be proud of your website! A website is just as much a form of self-expression (or brand expression) as any of your other marketing collateral. In fact, it could be argued that it is the most important way to showcase who you are.
If you’re not proud and excited to show your website off to others, you might want to consider updating it. Create a website that you’re proud of, one that helps you work toward your business goals. And remember, it doesn’t hurt to surprise and delight people along the way.
4. Your Website Isn’t Optimized for Mobile or Tablets
This is crucial. In 2018, 52.2 percent of all website traffic worldwide was generated through mobile phones, up from 50.3 percent in the previous year. If your website isn’t responsive and optimized for all devices in 2019, this is a major red flag and a clear indication that it is time to update your website.
5. You’re Not Getting as Much Website Traffic as You’d Like
If your current website is lacking SEO value—or if it’s been a while since you paid any attention to your target keywords and whether or not they’re currently aligned with your brand—it’s time to update your website.
Similar to a website, SEO isn’t something you do once and never think about again. Search engine optimization takes time and requires constant attention to the changing algorithms and ways that search engines define what makes content useful and valuable. Identifying and capitalizing on SEO opportunities requires constant tweaking and adjusting.
A website is never truly done. Your website should constantly evolve and grow as a reflection of you and your brand, and that means you need to keep it up to date.
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