The necessity of having a website cannot be overemphasized in 2024, which is a huge deal for any business. But if it is not well-functioning despite being the first point of contact between you and potential customers who are searching for your services or products, then you might be losing customers unknowingly— which is definitely going to be bad news for any business!
We will consider five major indications that your website needs substantial work and maintenance. We will also discuss the actions you can take to address these issues.
-
A Snail Would Outpace Your Website
Have you ever been fed up by a webpage that seems to take an eternity to appear? Your clientele experiences the same impatience. Should your site be sluggish, visitors will depart posthaste— and it's unlikely they'll return. Such news does not bode well for your enterprise.
What makes a slow website an issue?
Web users anticipate swift loading speeds but if you fail to provide that, it will result in losing them to other sites. Another reason why a slow site is problematic is because Google frowns upon them. If your website is slow, it could impact its visibility on search engines.
Slow websites can make people frustrated. Frustrated people don't buy things or contact businesses.
What actions can you take regarding this issue?
-
You need to evaluate your images. Large images can potentially slow down your website.
-
Assess your plugins because an abundance of plugins can impede the speed of your site.
-
Implement a CDN (Content Delivery Network) which helps in faster loading of your site for users across different geographical areas.
-
Your Content is Outdated
Do you recall when you last refreshed your website? If the memory doesn't come easily, then there lies an issue. The staleness of your content can impede your business in several ways.
Why is outmoded content a bad thing?
If your information is not updated, It may mislead people which can be confusing or deceptive to your consumers.
Search engines like Google love websites with fresh new content in it because old content can make your site harder to find on the web.
Presently, individuals are more likely to engage with current content. Old content might not be that interesting or useful.
What should you do?
-
Make sure that you update your contents like blogs posts, product information and “about us” pages regularly.
-
Get anything that is outdated and fix them.
-
Come up with new useful contents that will help users of your product or service.
-
Fresh content will indicate an active business that cares for its customers’ knowledge base.
-
You Have Broken Links or Errors
Did you ever click on a link and found yourself on the screen saying “404 Error” or “Page Not Found”? I know how annoying that could be. Broken links or errors on your website can really put people off it.
-
Your Website Doesn't Work Well on Phones
If your website doesn't work well on a phone, you're missing out on a lot of potential customers because these days people prefer to look over their phone rather than laptops for stuff.
Why is this a big deal?
-
Google looks at how well your site works on phones when deciding where to put you in search results.
-
If your site is hard to use on a phone, people will get frustrated and leave.
What should you do?
-
Make sure your website has a "responsive design". This means it will look good on any device - computer, phone, or tablet.
-
Test your website on different phones and tablets to make sure it looks good and works well on all of them.
-
Keep your mobile design simple. It should be easy for people to find what they need, even on a small screen.
-
Your Website Isn't Secure
Website security is very important for everybody who’s putting their trust in it. If your website isn't end-to-end encrypted, it can cause major problems for your business and your customers.
Why is security so important?
-
People will not trust you with their info if your site isn't secure.
-
A website that isn't secure can be easily hacked. Your site can be used to spread viruses or steal information if it is not properly secured.
-
If your site isn't secure, it will not show up as high in search results because Google and other search engines prefer secure websites.
What can you do to make your site secure?
-
Get an SSL certificate. This will help to protect information that people enter on your site.
-
Keep your website software up to date because if you have old software, it can have security holes that hackers can use.
-
Use strong passwords and keep changing them regularly in a month or two.
-
Plan about adding extra security features like firewalls and regular security scans.
Summing It All Up
A well-maintained website can help you attract more customers, keep them on your site longer, and turn more of them into paying customers.
If you're seeing any of these issues on your website, it's time to take action. Don't wait! The longer you leave these problems, the more they could hurt your business.
If all of this seems like a lot to handle, don't worry. You don't have to do it all yourself. There are experts out there who can help you keep your website in top shape. At Weblozy, we specialize in optimizing and maintaining websites to ensure they perform at their best, we're here to assist you.