Who could have thought that a website could go stale? Just like bread, business websites have the potential to go bad over time. However, websites can go stale much faster than bread due to the ever-changing landscape of the internet. So, what exactly is a stale website?
A stale website is no longer relevant or up-to-date. Outdated content, an outdated design, poor navigation, missing security protocols, or any other critical errors fall under this broad umbrella. In addition, a stale website gives visitors the impression that no one is home, which can be disastrous for businesses of any size looking to generate leads or sales online.
So, How Do You Fix A Stale Website?
The first step is identifying the most significant issues to address them first. If your website is quite outdated, consider a redesign. If your website has poor navigation, work on simplifying the user experience. And if you’re missing any essential security protocols, be sure to add them as soon as possible. If your site is running programs that lack support, such as Flash, you’ll need to remove them.
In addition to addressing the most critical errors, you’ll also want to freshen up your website’s content regularly. Fresh website content can be anything from refreshing old content pages, adding new blog posts and articles, or optimizing product descriptions and creating case studies. Regularly adding new content shows potential customers that your business is active and relevant.
Don’t Overlook The Importance Of Your Primary Marketing Asset!
As a business owner, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks and forget about your website. However, your website is one of your most important marketing assets and should get the attention it deserves.
Here are the different ways a stale website can impact your business:
Lower Visibility In Search Engine Rankings – Search engine companies are always looking for ways to improve the relevancy and accuracy of their search results. To do this, they invest millions of dollars annually in developing new technologies. As a result, small business owners who don’t invest in improving their web presence can quickly fall behind.
Search engine optimization is constantly evolving, and those who don’t keep up with the latest changes can find themselves hopelessly outranked by their competitors. In today’s digital world, a strong web presence is essential for any business that wants to succeed. Those who don’t invest in it do so at their peril.
Creates Friction With Potential Customers – A stale website is often unappealing and creates friction with potential customers. If your website looks unprofessional, outdated, or has poor navigation, visitors will click away and look for a better option, resulting in lost sales and revenue.
Reputation Damage – First impressions matter so much in today’s digital age. If your website doesn’t cast your company in an unfavorable light that reflects poorly on your business, it can cause reputational damage, making it difficult to attract new customers.
It Doesn’t Reflect Your Offerings – Let’s face it, a company of any size can dramatically change in a short period. If your website is years old, it probably doesn’t accurately reflect your current product offerings or services. Not surprisingly, this oversight can be very confusing or off-putting for potential customers. Without pertinent information, it can give the impression that the company is no longer in business or doesn’t offer the services that the customer wants, leading to missed opportunities for both the customer and the company.
For the customer, they may move on to another vendor who does have the information they’re looking for prominently displayed on their site. And for the company, they’ve missed out on a potential sale.
Therefore, in today’s competitive marketplace, it’s more important than ever to keep your website up-to-date with fresh content that reflects changes in your product or service offerings. Otherwise, you risk losing out on potential customers.
Wastes Valuable Resources – If you’re spending money on resources like web hosting, paid ads, or email marketing, but your website is stale, you’re essentially throwing money down the drain. Likewise, if your website can’t generate sales or leads, or if the site is actively working against your best interests, you are essentially your own worst enemy.
The good news is you can change your website’s course. By taking the time to address critical issues and freshen up your site, you can avoid the negative consequences of a stale website and keep your business growing for years.