Three reasons 2018 is the year to finally update your website

Posted by Rich Harshaw on January 22, 2018.

Post Category: Marketing Articles.

.

Here’s a hot-off-the-presses website update we completed for our client, Zen Windows North Carolina: https://www.zenwindowsnc.com/.

As you explore the website, consider updating your website as a belated “New Year’s resolution.” Especially for one or more of the following reasons…

1. Your website has not been updated in the past two years.

What’s “awesome” and what’s “stale” in terms of website design changes at a blisteringly fast pace. Sporting a website built in 2016 or earlier is like driving a 1998 Buick Century in 2018.

A ’98 Buick Century may still run okay.
But don’t let prospects see you driving it if you want to impress them.

Simply put, an outdated website is uncool. Being seen as trendy and cool might mean squat to you. But a “cool,” state-of-the-art website impresses prospects. It gives them the feeling that you are a professional company—one that is “with the times,” so to speak. It shows you care about how your clients see you. It shows you take time and effort and dedication and pride in your business.

And if your outdated website generates a solid amount of leads, consider this: a fresh website facelift will generate even more. It’s a no-brainer: An easy-to-navigate and engaging website will outperform a clunky site every day that ends in “y.”

2. Your website is not mobile-friendly.

More and more people use their mobile devices as their primary source for surfing the web. In fact, internet usage is now split 50/50 between mobile devices and desktops. And studies show that percentage is only going to continue trending toward mobile.

In other words: In 2018, more of your prospects will use their smart phones to visit your website than ever before. So if your mobile website looks like garbage or is hard to navigate on a mobile device (or worse—is not optimized for mobile devices at all!), prospects will bail within seconds.

Literally. People don’t have time to deal with zooming in to read the microscopic text on your mobile site. And they don’t the patience to navigate through cumbersome menus to find the info they want.

Speaking of info… with mobile sites, there is a fine line between “not enough” content and “too much” content.

You don’t want a mobile website with bare-bones content. But if you don’t tell the visitor what they want to know, they’ll move on to the next contractor.

Bottom line: You have to take into account the user experience on a mobile device. People browsing your website on a smart phone are not going to spend as much time on the site as when they are sitting down at their desktop. So striking the right balance of content on a mobile website is critical to conversions.

3. Your website doesn’t pull in leads as well as your other marketing methods.

This is the biggest sign you need a website renovation—your website (and online marketing) should be your NUMBER ONE source of leads. End of story.

Numerous studies conclude over 90% of people search for local businesses online. So, basically everyone except Great Grandma Gertrude (who is still a yellow-pages kind of gal) searches online when they need a contractor.

Think about it. A direct mail campaign can capture some interested leads. A radio ad can reach a certain segment of your prospect pool (assuming it’s playing on the right station at the right time of day). And a print ad may catch the attention of a few folks.

But a homeowner who wants a project RIGHT NOW isn’t sifting through his mail for your postcard. Or changing radio stations in his car to find you. Or thumbing through the newspaper in search of your ad.

No… homeowners who are in “buy now” mode (or close to it) are all going to the same place: The World Wide Web. And if they land on your crusty old website, they’ll turn tail in the blink of an eye.

And consider this…

Say you send 100 mailers to a targeted audience. Roughly 10 of those people will be interested in what you’re offering.

Now… what do you think their next step will be?

That’s right: Visiting your website!

So no matter what, your prospects—no matter how you reach out to them—are going to end up on your website at some point. It’s too risky NOT to have an up-to-date website.

Bottom Line…

If your website is looking a little long in the tooth, make yourself a belated New Years’ Resolution to update it or get a new one. A powerful, state-of-the-art website will get you more leads, boost your search engine rankings, and increase your business.

(And, unlike losing weight or cutting out junk food, this is a resolution that’s actually EASY to keep.)

Give us a call at (817) 416-4333, or visit the MYM website and use the chat function to get in touch about a fresh website for 2018.

Thanks!

-Rich

P.S. Next post, I’ll show you yet another new contractor website we recently launched. It contains some really cool things we’ve never done with a client’s website before. I think you’ll enjoy it.