CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT. TOTALLY TRUE. WHILE MOST OF US FOCUS ON OUR BUSINESS.. LET US NOT FORGET TO CELEBRATE THIS COMING MOTHER'S DAY THE MOST HARDWORKING OF THEM ALL.
11 Reasons Why You Should Update Your Site this Year
DO YOU LOVE YOUR WEBSITE?
If the answer is no or not really, you shouldn’t even continue reading this article. Just go visit our shop, choose a design that you like and start building a website that you’ll be proud to share online, and invite prospects to browse through. A site that will effectively promote your work and help you book more clients. Otherwise, what’s the point in keeping this powerful marketing tool, investing time and effort into it, if it doesn’t help your business grow and flourish?
It’s not enough to JUST have a website. It needs to look good, it needs to present information in a clear, accessible way. It needs to create a strong first impression and make your prospects feel like they’ve found THE ONE. Otherwise, you’re competing for the attention of the same audience alongside another few hundred businesses. And let’s agree, that’s an exhausting game.
If you’re not sure whether your current website does a good job, here are 11 aspects you can look into to decide whether it’s time for a revamp (listed in no particular order). Know that our Biggest Sale of the year is coming soon. If you want to grab a higher discount code this Black Friday, join our Facebook Community group. That’s where all the secret deals will be shared!
1. It’s Not Memorable and Doesn’t Stand Out
What was cool 3 years ago, may not be this year. Maybe you were one of the early adopters of a new design style or aesthetic, but that was 2-4 years ago. Look around, everyone has similar website designs, especially if they use them ready out of the box. That’s why we created Flexthemes and Flexblock – to empower you with more design freedom. Create your blocks and page layouts. Make your website look and feel like YOU. It’s all simple and intuitive. No code skills are required.
And, you can personalize your mobile site version too, if you want.
2. It Doesn’t Reflect Your Brand
This one should be straightforward. Your website promotes your business online 24/7. If you’ve rebranded recently, if your photography style changed and evolved, if you’re offering new products and services to your customers – your website should reflect and advocate that change. Otherwise, you’re attracting the wrong type of clients, those who are after your old type of work. This brings us to reason #3.
3. You’re Not Attracting the Right Clients
We explain this in more depth in How Design Affects Your Business Growth article, but the point is – if you are not getting inquiries from the type of clients you want to work with, you are not positioning yourself correctly on the market. One golden rule is to carefully curate your work. Check the content and galleries you show on your website, remove the type of work you don’t want to do in the future (i.e. family, portrait, editorial, etc). Carefully select your BEST, fresh images (the type of projects you want to do more of) and include them on your homepage. This will immediately filter out some of the inquiries which are not a good fit for you. Make sure all your content is consistent, including colors, fonts, icons. An example of consistency in a website would be this.
4. Outdated Theme & Technologies
This one affects your visitors’ experience on your website. “Old school is cool” does not apply when it comes to functionality. The digital world is constantly changing and evolving. Web standards shift each year, dictating new tools and technologies for building a good website. Your clients’ preferences and tastes shift even faster. What was trendy yesterday, may not be next week. Hence, if you want your business to succeed, you need to be agile with your visual presentation and website design.
If you’ve built your website over 3 years ago, most likely it’s far behind in terms of looks and functionality. It probably has outdated code that can slow down its loading speed or the way it responds on different devices. It may also not be compatible with some of the latest popular browsers. Take our example, 3,5 years ago we launched our first Classic themes with the drag and drop page builder, a year and a half ago we released FlexBlock, and in November 2019 the world greeted the first Flexthemes.
The difference between our old, classic themes and the Flexthemes is huge (we explain it here). Building a custom-looking website with our new themes is a whole lot easier. You don’t need to know code, you don’t need to add CSS snippets or hire a technical team. The new visual editor is so simple, your grandma could probably do it (yet please don’t make her do your tasks).
The bottom line here, if it’s been a while since you’ve built your site, start looking for website design inspiration and a more modern template to use as a base.
5. Mobile Friendly
I sure hope this is not the case, but if you still don’t have a mobile-friendly website – get a new theme NOW! Even if you do have a responsive or adaptive design, you still need to keep up with the latest trends. Newer themes include modern CSS code which allows your site to adapt nicely to any device. They also allow you to hide certain page blocks for mobile and ensure a faster and smoother user experience. Also, you must know that Google cares about the experience you offer to your mobile guests, since over 50% of website traffic comes from portable devices.
Offering more control to our clients over the design and functionality of their mobile websites has always been an important goal on our list. With Flexthemes, the steering wheel is in your hands. You have access to the mobile view of your website sections, can easily make adjustments, hide or show certain areas of your site to ensure a truly wonderful and unique browsing experience for your mobile guests.
If you’re not sure how many of your prospects access your website via their phone, if you’re wondering whether it makes sense for you to customize your mobile site – check your site’s stats. You can do that via your Google Analytics account if you have one connected to your website.
Mobile is important and it won’t go away in the next years. Don’t leave money on the table with a poorly performing mobile site, it’s one of those crucial business aspects that you can’t ignore anymore.
6. Your Website Loads Slow
Aim for a loading time under 4 seconds. If you’re not sure how quickly your site loads, use tools like Pingdom or GTmetrix to check how long it takes for your site to load, and which files are the troublemakers. Poor results could mean you have some work to do. Slow loading speed could be caused by several reasons: heavy, unoptimized images, underpowered hosting and, even an old, poorly performing theme.
The first one can be easily solved by following this Ultimate Guide to Saving Your Images for the Web. For the second one, check out this article describing 5 key criteria to choosing a good hosting provider. Yet, if the issue is caused by an old, outdated website template, you can start shopping for a new one.
View Flothemes website templates here.
7. Your Bounce Rate is High
This is extremely important. If you’ve been pouring your heart and time into blogging, SEO and marketing, bringing a lot of traffic to your website – yet the second they access your homepage (or any other page), they bounce right off of it – you have a problem. You’re losing leads and potential clients.
A high bounce rate indicates that you’re doing something wrong, either with content, with the navigation of your website, or the overall look and feel on your site. On average, a bounce rate between 40-60% is considered to be OK (this varies depending on your industry).
You can check your bounce rate via Google Analytics. Log in and go to Acquisition >> Overview tab. If it’s higher than 70%, follow these 9 Steps to reducing your Bounce Rate. If it doesn’t help, it’s time for a website redesign, and we do suggest seeking some expert advice in UX and UI.
In case you want to dive deeper into Measuring Performance and Tracking Success for your site, download our SEO guide here.
8. Security
To be honest, new or old, any website can be hacked. The experience is stressful and painful, especially when you lose information, or/and have to rebuild everything from scratch. However, older websites rely on older technology, therefore chances of a security breach are higher. Make sure your theme is updated and follow these 12 steps to make your site more secure.
9. SEO
Let’s start with the basics. Do you have a blog? You should, as it’s a powerful marketing tool to drive more traffic and users to your website, through keywords, internal links and, backlinks.
You also need to know that search engines love good, updated content. Every time you make an update to your site, Google and other search engines crawl and index your pages, thus your site ranking gets recalculated. If you keep your content updated and of GOOD QUALITY, you increase your chances of getting noticed on Search Result pages. Pair that with a charming, good-looking website, and you’re guaranteed more attention.
If SEO is something that you’ve been planning to dive deeper into, check out our SEO guide for photographers. Also, take a look at this incredible post by Dylan M Howell on Content Strategy and How to Blog like and Expert.
10. Do I need Call to Action?
Of course, you do. And it’s not just a button or link added here and there. It has to be placed strategically, to keep your users engaged with your website and browsing through more content. We explain How Call to Actions work in Design in this article, but the idea is to guide your site visitors through your content to your Best Work, then to your contact form or sales page. If your current website is limited in CTAs (Call to Actions) and doesn’t allow much customization – it’s time to get something more flexible and powerful. With Flexthemes for example, you can easily create new page layouts to support your sales campaigns and convert more users into prospects. They allow you to fully customize any layout, add buttons, images, videos, texts, and other design elements.
Never leave your site visitors wondering what they should do next. If it’s not subtle and intuitive, they’ll leave and never return. And that’s sadly a lost business opportunity.
11. All those Cool Apps & Integrations
An old outdated website template may not keep up with all the new apps, plugins, and integrations available out there. So, if you want to integrate your favorite Studio Management System, Photo Editing app or, any other useful tools that simplify your workflow – be prepared to update your website on a regular 1-2 year basis, and use the most modern, up to date templates for that.
How Much Money Are Small Businesses Losing By Not Having An Optimized Website?
If you think that your company does not need a website because it is small, you already have enough clients, you do not need a website or your clientele is in this neighborhood, why do I need someone on the other side of the map to see what I do? I'm sorry to tell you that you are wrong, why do you want to put borders on your company?
Only 48 percent of small businesses claim to have a website, although the 'online' presence of a business has become essential for 98 percent of consumers, who -in the 69 percent of the cases - buy online even if the store is nearby, according to data from a report presented this Thursday by GoDaddy. Under the name of 'Does your business have a website?' Opportunities and challenges posed by the digital environment to the self-employed and small companies, the report warns that businesses without a web lose up to 25% of potential customers and adds that "the lack of technological knowledge and the money to invest are the main obstacles faced by small businesses to leap to the Internet".
The ideal time for your brand or your business to have an online presence is now, let's not forget that if your business is not on the internet, it does not exist. This could be very detrimental to your long-term survival and function.
If you do not have a website for your brand, you are denying it much more exposure than it can get and, as we have already mentioned, any entrepreneur knows that less exposure translates into fewer sales.
And, if the idea of having a website or not has just convinced you ... you know, who does have one? Your competition. If you want your brand to gain impact and visits, be more competitive and increase your sales, you must have an online site where your customers can learn more about you, what you offer, your products, your services, your human team, how you do it, using the emotional connection and storytelling, you will be able to connect with the client so that they choose your brand over any other.
And all this is not just about people knowing more about your brand, or what you offer (although it is something essential), it is that if you have an online store they will be able to buy from it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unlike your physical establishment that follows more limited business hours.
The psychological factor cannot be ignored either. Having a professional website gives a very important endorsement to your brand since it makes it look more professional, more legitimate and, more committed to what it offers and promises. Think that if your competition has a website and your business does not, you are missing an impressive number of customers.
Join the digital age: If your company does not have a website, you are losing money.
Although the design and image reflected on your website can attract more customers, you should also use tools that help you better manage your business. Information is power and through the customers who register on your site and the information you will get from them, you can use it for your digital marketing strategy.
Design is a key factor, although from Duluth web design we recommend that when in doubt, it is better to bet on a simple, well-structured design, according to your brand and what you want to convey. It is better not to fill your domain with options and thousands of sections, which can confuse visitors and run the risk that they will not return.
Another point to keep in mind when you think about making this decision is the scope that you can experience. We no longer speak of the local, or regional, now we speak of national scope and in the best of cases, a global one. Isn't this a unique opportunity for your company?
Imagine being able to expand your brand so much that you can offer your product to other regions or other countries, with the lowest possible operating cost, without the need to open a physical store that entails operating and personnel expenses; You do all this with a well-positioned professional website.
Having profiles on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram are a plus for your business but they can never replace a well-cared website with SEO made to measure. Think that a web page to your measure, you can structure it as you want and offer all the information you want without any restriction, highlighting those elements that you consider most important or that your customers may like the most.
In this growing world of the Internet, websites for small businesses help to increase revenue. But it's a fact that 40% of small companies in the United States still don't have websites. Some of them are thinking of making a website, but others feel that it's unnecessary to create a website.
Everything has its importance similarly the websites for small business plays a significant role. So here we will discuss how small businesses can survive without a website.
Why Is It Essential To Have A Website?
If you have small businesses, then a website plays the second office's role on the Internet. It is the information store for your potential customers if they want to know more about you. A website is a way to make your business legitimate and authentic.
You can only share the details that you want to share with your customers. Whenever you wish to change any information or update, you can quickly change it. Website creation is not the end of the game, as it's just the marketing strategy's beginning.
However, if you don't have a website, then there are other ways to grow your business.
How Small Businesses Survive Without A Website?
Having a website is the best option, but what if you have a small business and don't have a budget to develop a website?
So here are the methods to survive without a website in small businesses.
Social Media Marketing
Social media page is somehow relevant to the websites, so it helps to remain relevant. Small businesses have to grow their business through social media pages as there is no restriction on it.
Social media pages help market your business, so make sure you choose the right social media platform. These pages help to engage potential customers in the era of the Internet. You can add the relevant content that your customers want to see and use.
Google My Business
Google My Business is a tool that helps the business to grow. Sign in Google My Business and place your small business on the map so the potential customers will quickly know your business's location. Your business comes into their radar, and it will start popping up whenever a customer searches the relative keyword.
Email Newsletters
Many business owners think that email marketing is not working but believe me, it's still in demand. However, keep in mind that you create useful and attention-grabbing emails related to your business.
For example, if you offer discounts, it must come into the subject line that attracts potential customers. One of the best things is to create personalized emails that seem like you are talking to the customer personally.
Facebook Business Profile
It is one of the best ways to don't have a business website and then treat your Facebook account or profile as a business website. More than hundreds of small businesses promote their business on Facebook as it has a higher number of active users daily.
SMA Brothers are here to help you in developing the website for small businesses. These services include the unique design for a website, logo designing, testimonials, digital marketing needs, and many more.
To help you with the web design, here are ten questions you should ask a potential web designer to get to know about their style and process. These questions will help you understand their abilities and design process so that you can have a design outcome you’re going to be happy with.
Which platform do you think is best for building a website?
Web designers use a particular tool for their craft, so you should know which platform they’re best in. Also, check out the one they recommend for your web design needs. For instance, they might say that they’re best at WordPress and they have made i9t their tool of choice.
Also, they shouldn’t say yes to a client for whom they feel WordPress isn’t the best option to go with. This indicates their honesty and integrity when it comes to serving a customer. This is not to say that a designer cannot be an expert in using multiple platforms.
So, it’s important to ask what they’re skilled in. Besides, if your project requires the usage of other tools like email marketing, ask them if they’re familiar with these tools.
Do you work with custom code?
A web designer can 100% offer you a custom design, built using a template, or hybridization of both. One of the most important characteristics of your designer has to be the ability to bring your vision to life using a custom code to manipulate the functionality and design of your website.
Most likely, you might be looking for someone knowledgeable about CSS. However, some more complex projects might require knowledge of other languages too. If you’re paying for and expecting to receive a customized website, you should get one designed by a professional.
It's important to know how your site will be designed with your specific tech requirements addressed. A custom website designed as per your needs must ensure that the layout has been made ‘’hand-code’’ by an expert. So, make sure they are professionals at working with a custom code.
How do you ensure a usable experience on all devices?
If you’re going to build a website and design it to provide a dependable user experience to your audience, you must ensure that you’re getting a responsive web design. A responsive design is google-recommended and it’s the best practice to get a web design that is well optimized, friendly, and ideal for usage on all devices.
The website you get designed should respond for desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile phone with one code on the same URL. Mobile design is smaller than the desktop site. So, your website needs to be responsive on all screen sizes so that a great customer experience is ensured.
What Content Management System do you use?
With a content management system, you manage your website’s content. The most dependable CMS allows you to make updates to your websites over time. Ask your web developer if they can use an open-source CMS like WordPress or their own custom CMS.
It's important to be knowledgeable about the content system your designer is going to use when developing your website. Many people assume that the CMS website works the same on the backend. However, the backend design and functionality differ.
So, you should ask for a website demonstration to know how customized the CMS is going to be. You can post new content, update your site with new articles and landing pages with time. Consider asking some questions like:
Does it support e-commerce?
Which browsers will be compatible?
Can I upgrade my site myself?
Am I going to have access to all of the functionalities?
Also, it’s good to choose a provider that offers an open-source CMS.
How do you optimize websites for Page Speed and Search Engines?
It’s important to have your website optimized for a great and smooth user experience for your visitors and targeted audience. Search Engine Optimization is critical for the performance of your website and should be included at the very beginning of your development project.
Ask the designer about the experience their SEO team has and how do they make their SEO strategies. SEO has changed a lot in the last few years. It's all about creating content that serves your visitors in a friendly manner. There are other practices or page speeds that are the most important to implement so that you rank well and the website is as speedy and responsive as you want it to be.
How long will this project take?
The turnaround time of website design providers can vary depending on the scale of your website. Different website projects have different timelines attached to them. If your website is time-sensitive, it's crucial to communicate this to the designer you’re going to hire.
Tell them about the specific dates so that both of you know that you’re on the right track. The timeline should be discussed before any design. Check to see if their turnaround time and timeline are best suited to your needs.
Communicate the deadline and stay in touch so that you both know and are capable to manage if there are any unexpected changes. Read the contract and terms before signing because some companies or individual designers might charge late fees if the projects exceed the deadline you both agreed on.
How many revision rounds will you include?
It is often observed that miscommunication occurs during the revision and approval process. You love your product and you need perfection. Therefore, your designer should be able to reach the desired standards for your website design. So, it’s important to know how many changes they allow while you’re approving the site. What if you don’t find the first version of your site? You’ll want your designer to make the changes required. To ensure a smooth experience, you should know what your designer does to share drafts with you and receive your feedback. Some designers set a limit on the number of revision rounds. Whereas, others complete revisions on an hourly basis. Usually, we designers offer 2-3 rounds of revision. In case you find out that you need more than that, you can pay them the extra cost to get it done.
Can you offer a design that fits my budget?
Building a website usually costs more than you anticipate. So, get prepared and do your research to find out what’s the current rate for web design work. Secondly, it’s always important to communicate your budget before you get started. If you don’t know about your budget, they won't be able to prepare a site that is best suited to your budget requirements. The ideal web designer will be honest about the services and features you can ask for within the given budget. You should get upfront pricing with no hidden costs. Ask your designer to highlight their previous projects so that you can understand the quality, features, and additional services you can afford with the budget you have mentioned. So, it's useful for your designer to know about your affordability for many reasons.
How do you manage site security and maintenance?
The security, hosting, and maintenance of your website are the critical factors when it comes to the performance, functionality, and success of your website. Many companies choose to have their web company host their websites to avoid managing the process internally. In that case, you should know that security measures are taken and what hosting environment is your agency of choice is providing. Along with the security, your web designer should ensure that maintenance and hosting are taken care of.
How will we communicate during the web design process?
It's important to know how close is your web designer willing to work with your team. Some designers prefer to communicate via email. Whereas, others rely on different project management software to stay connected with your team. Some designers work independently, while others might have their team of designers, writers, and programmers that help them speed up the whole process to deliver your project on time. If your designer is getting additional support to work on your project, it will be good to know who they’re working with.
Bottom Line
By asking these questions, you can avoid a lot of misunderstandings and pitfalls that are likely to cause failure in a web design project. So, take some time before getting into a project agreement and ask the right questions to build a profitable relationship with your designer.
Richard we can't thank you enough for explaining word of mouth advertising is dead. Facebook ads are so targeted that we have seen double our investment. Thank you to you and your team. Phil Royce Auto Body.
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