Is your nonprofit website outdated?
Here are six ways to tell.
We’ve probably mentioned this before, but websites aren’t meant to be static.
On the contrary, websites take a good deal of maintenance to keep things running smoothly for your business and keep your customers updated on your products or services.
But how do you know when your website is outdated and in need of some TLC? There are a few easy ways to tell.
1. It hasn’t been optimized for mobile.
If your website isn’t mobile friendly, that’s a problem…a BIG problem.
According to a recent report from Statista, about half of all web traffic comes from mobile users. Depending on your audience, that number could be even higher. And chances are, that number is only going to grow.
If you aren’t currently using responsive web design, you’re behind the curve and potentially frustrating your mobile visitors.
Let’s face it. The future is mobile, and your customers expect your website to reflect that. Don’t stay stuck in the past. Mobile optimized websites are the norm these days.
Need help? Our team can test your site’s responsiveness and create a mobile optimized website that will put you back on good terms with your customers.
2. The elements are all outdated.
Sometimes you don’t have to see much to tell if something is outdated. You just know. (Think 1995 websites.)
Funky fonts (that aren’t on brand), wacky colors, busy background images behind text, media that automatically plays when you open a page, old images and walls of text, are all signs of an outdated website.
As we mentioned above, a website shouldn’t just sit stagnant. It needs to be updated regularly. All your content should be on brand, and everything should be accessible for as many people as possible.
We know it can be hard to stay on top of all the updates that need to occur to keep your website in tip-top shape and your content fresh.
If you need help maintaining your site, our team is here to assist! Learn more about our web design and development services, and see if we can help you stay ahead of the game.
3. The user experience and functionality aren’t great.
We mentioned the importance of responsive design. That’s a big part of a positive user experience, but there are few more things to consider.
Think about things like navigation and site search bars. If it is difficult to find information on your site, you’ll lose conversions and visitors might not return.
And since your website is often your customers’ first impression, why would you leave it clunky and cluttered, with no easy navigation?
Think of your website as a storefront…like a grocery store. You want to organize your content in logical groupings and give your customers a clear path to find what they’re looking for. The same is true for your website.
Load times are also important. According to Neil Patel, if your site doesn’t load in three seconds, you’ll lose 40% of your users! Don’t make the mistake of overlooking the importance of load time.
Reach out to our team for help with improving load times and navigation for your new or existing website. We’ll work with you to develop an engaging site that will lead to higher traffic and more conversions.
4. There aren’t any clear calls to action.
Okay, so people are on your site. Now, what?
It isn’t a good sign if you don’t know what to do next. There should be some sort of call to action directing or guiding visitors to take the next step–whether that’s making a purchase, donating money, or signing up for a newsletter.
Or maybe there are too many calls to action, competing with one another, and confusing visitors about what they should do next.
Stick to just one or two calls to action per web page, and use mobile-friendly buttons to make sure they’re clear and accessible.
If you need help, our team of content creators can craft some compelling calls to action to boost conversions.
5. You’ve forgotten about SEO.
Never forget about SEO! SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it can make all the difference in how you rank when people search for you on Google.
If you rank higher in searches, you’re easier to find, and the easier it is to get traffic to your website.
If your website includes outdated information, with no searchable keywords, there is a good chance it isn’t ranking as high as it could be.
Need help checking your site ranking and improving your SEO? Our web developers and content writers are experts at SEO and can help you improve your rankings.
6. Your site isn’t secure.
If your site isn’t secure, it isn’t just out of date, it isn’t safe.
With cyber attacks and data breaches on the rise, it has never been more important in this digital landscape to protect your user’s data and your own with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate.
An up-to-date SSL will improve your SEO while simultaneously building trust with all your site visitors. An expired SSL, on the other hand, will give visitors a warning message before they can even view your home page!
Many web hosts offer security protections, but our team can work with you to find the right host and protections to ensure your website is up to date with the latest security protocols.
So, is your site outdated and in need of some TLC?
It might seem scary to tackle some of these big projects, but our team of experienced web developers, designers, and content writers are here to help you bring your site up to date, so that you can connect more people to your business.
Get in touch with us today for a FREE custom quote!
