6 ways to know when it’s time to upgrade your web site
Friday, October 24th, 2008 - by Becky Sheetz-Runkle[Tech Marketing Feature] Is your web site helping you or hurting you? At first glance, it’s ironic that so many tech firms have unappealing web sites. But upon closer examination, it’s not so unusual. In one sense, it’s often a case of the shoemaker’s children without shoes. No matter what our business, it’s easy to fall pray to that. But even more significant is the reality that technical prowess does not an effective strategic marketer make. Just because your tech people can develop a web site doesn’t mean they should.
So from the prism of strategic marketing, let’s explore the six signs for when it’s time to upgrade your web site.
1. Strategy out of step
The first indicator is when the site is no longer helping the business accomplish its objectives. This is the take-a-big-step-back-and-look-at-the-big-picture part. If the purpose of the site is to generate leads and leads drop off, an upgrade may be in order. If the site is an information source and traffic for resources diminishes, this is cause for concern. If you haven’t determined what your site’s primary roles are, well, quit reading and focus on that little number for a while.
Each page of your site should have a strategy. Really. Each and every page. Otherwise, what’s that page doing there? It’s essential to know how you’re going to navigate prospects through your site in order to prompt a response.
If the strategic message about what the company does and who it does it for is muddied on the web site, it will cause confusion in the marketplace. Step one is where any discussion of upgrading your company’s web site should start. And if any of these primary questions are unanswered, it’s where the discussion should continue until you uncover the answers.
2. Time and activity on site
Web stats. Web stats. Web stats. There is no excuse today for not regularly accessing and reviewing your web traffic trends. There are a plethora of tools for doing so, and Google Analytics is free. Free! No excuse, especially among tech folks who get excited about harnessing data. You don’t have to review your stats for your site every day like some of us on the way to crazy town, but for crying out loud, review them! Learn from them. Implement what you learn. Make your site more effective and your organization more profitable.
Do your web statistics indicate that visitors aren’t staying on the site very long, or they’re not clicking through deeper on your site? This is a key indicator in the viability of the site in meeting visitors’ needs. If potential buyers (and customers) come to an important entry page and stay for only seconds, you’re missing opportunities. There’s a lot more we could say about this topic. We’ll have to come back to it in the future.
3. Live in the now!
If the navigation, imagery, and general look and feel is dated, visitors will question your credibility. For tech companies in particular, this can be very damaging. Prospects, clients, partners and employees must trust that you’re providing the very best products and/or services for their dollars. Does your web site help you deliver on that, or does it bring your competence into question?
4. Don’t ignore the obvious
You get negative feedback from employees, partners and customers about the usability or effectiveness of the site. I’m not sure how much more we need to say about this one….
I changed my mind and want to share an anecdote about why your employees have to believe in your brand. Q2 Marketing worked for an IT and management consulting firm where some of the employees took it upon themselves to design and produce their own business cards because they were so embarrassed by the company’s outdated cards. And they cringed anytime anyone asked for their URL.
5. Brand overhaul
Of course, any time a large scale marketing effort occurs where the brand is updated or renovated, the site needs to be brought into that effort. Goes without saying, right?
6. SEO?
If your site isn’t easily found by search engines because of poor keyword optimization, navigation issues, graphic elements in favor of essential copy, or other concerns, it’s time to upgrade. More on this later. Check back. Seriously. You’ll be glad you did.
