How often should I give my website a new look?

October 5, 2020

If your website analytics have been stagnant for a while, you may be wondering what you can do to boost your traffic. Is it time to give your website a new look? We believe in supporting local businesses, so we've put some thought into the matter. Take a look at 3 tips for determining whether it's time to update the look of your site.

Update When Customers Show Signs of Disinterest

Take a look at your bounce rate — That's the metric that measures how many people visit your site but leave without making any purchase. Maybe your site looks tired or is hard to navigate, and that's causing potential customers to bounce away from it. Pay special attention to complaints from customers, whether by email, phone or on your social media platforms, that your site is less than functional or that it looks out of date.

Update When You Feel the Heat From Your Competitors

Updating your website is a signal to your customers that you're staying on the cutting edge of your field. If you're in a heated competition for customers, the look of your website can send a message that you're the company they want to deal with. Imagine visiting a site that has outdated content, no new news, and a tired look. Wouldn't you click and go elsewhere? Don't give your customers a chance to do that.

Update to Go Mobile

Increasingly, customers are accessing the internet via their mobile devices, and they may become frustrated if your website is hard to navigate because it hasn't been optimized for mobile. If so, you need to add responsive design to your site, or adjust your current responsive design so it pairs with current technology. Depending on how your site is coded, you may need a full redesign, rather than just giving the existing material a fresh appearance.
It is also important to make sure your website is updated during and after the current pandemic. This can take many forms. It can be updating the website to let customers know what your company is doing to help them stay safe during the pandemic or putting in place measures like online purchasing that will help your business continue to thrive during the pandemic. In whatever case, it is important for customers to know you are aware of what is happening in the world and how you are dealing with it.
We encourage you to keep your website active and up-to-date so that customers throughout our community can direct their business your way.

For resources and tips to help you market your small business check out MainStreetRecovery.ca An initiative of the St. John's Board of Trade, support provided by the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation.

Accredited nationally with distinction, the St. John’s Board of Trade is a non-partisan, business advocacy organization. The principal voice of business for members in the St. John’s area. Its mission is to improve the local business climate, enhancing members’ ability to do business through advocacy and member services. stjohnsbot.ca