When is the right time to upgrade your website?

April 12, 2016

Knowing when to upgrade your website is tricky, sometimes you can get too comfortable with the same website when you look at it every day and what may seem ok to you looks outdated to anyone landing on your website. We normally recommend to our clients to upgrade their site every 2 years in order to remain up to date and on trend. There are however many reasons that can stop you from updating this frequently, cost being the main reason. We have tried to make upgrading our website’s as easy as possible with a subscription pricing system, with no up-front cost.

Identifying when to upgrade:

2-year cycle

As mentioned before upgrading every 2 years is about the right amount. During this time website trends can change very quickly and if your website was styled around a specific trend2 years ago then it may look more out dated than a classic design might over the same time period. During this 2 year period you can also modify your website if you identify if a certain area needs work such as your calls to actions.

Google algorithm change

Every now and then Google will apply an algorithm update which will means that it is imperative that you update your website. A good example of this is the Google mobile update in April 2015, which required all websites to be mobile-friendly in order to be ranked highly on mobile devices (If you haven’t got a mobile friendly site now might be the time!). When a big change like this is released it is imperative that you adapt your website to ad-hear to the update otherwise you will find yourself slipping down the rankings.

Lack of leads

Your website should be where you generate most of your leads as it is where 90% of people start their property search. If your website isn’t bringing in leads for you then it probably needs as update. If your website is outdated people may see you as old and behind the times which is not the kind of image you want to portray to someone’s house you are trying to sell. Lack of leads can also be down to poor design i.e. calls to actions not being in the right places and a bad user experience. Many people search for property on their mobile devices, if your website is hard to use on a mobile and doesn’t have calls to actions in the right places, it probably needs a re-design in order for you to start generating leads.

Bugs everywhere!

This is a bit of an obvious one but if your website keeps crashing and you are noticing glitches every time you log onto it, then it is time to upgrade. Website’s get old, just like everything else and need maintenance. As operating systems get more advanced and web browsers update, old website’s will get more and more bugs and you will spend more time and money maintaining your website than you will upgrading it.
Updating your website is very important as trends and technologies advance but there are also other factors which you need to keep an eye on such as site content. If you are using the same text on your site that you were from 5 years ago, it might be worth reviewing it. Just as design trends change, the tone in which marketing messages are delivered change too. Many companies opt for a much more laid back approach to their communications with clients now, which works for both parties

Alex Evans

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