How your Website could be Hurting your Reputation

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again - your website is a reflection of you and your business. It is business critical that this is an accurate reflection or it could really hurt your reputation.

There are 2 primary ways your website could be hurting your reputation - either by being old, and outdated with a poor user experience that deters people from wanting to work with you OR your website misleads people in what you can actually do for them and they are left feeling disappointed.

Both of these will really hurt your reputation and negatively impact your business growth which we obviously want to avoid!

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So how do we avoid this?

Your website is old and outdated

Think back to the early 2000s when websites were grey blocks, bold colours and weird fonts that were hard to read with tiny images you couldn't really read - yes this is what I mean by outdated.

BUt I also mean outdated in the sense that your business has grown and changed since you made it a few years ago. If you're not quite sure if its outdated, have a read through our blog here about how to recognise when its time for a new website!

Even if you have a sleek, modern beautiful website that is easy to scroll through, everything loads quickly and correctly - is it accurate?

It is really important to change and alter your website as you and your business grow and develops. Change is inevitable, your business will change - YOU will change in 3 years (if you're not that is a whole different issue!) but in order to stay relevant and for your website to continue to bring in new business - it needs to be updated. Regularly.

Because your website is a reflection of you, there is a common conception that if your website is clearly uncared for, old, clunky and hard to use - that you as a business are uncaring and hard to work with (which is hopefully not true!).
If people are looking you up and trying to decide if they want to work with you/ buy from you - you want them to decide yes! Don't give them any reason to say no because your website is old and outdated!

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Your website is misleading

The other main way your website could be hurting your reputation is that your website says that you do things that you actually do not do anymore. This can be significantly more detrimental to your reputation than out-of-date images.

If someone is looking for a particular service, let's say a photographer does a maternity photoshoot, and your website says that you do this - but in fact, you have now moved to landscape photography - you are going to disappoint them. This gives them a negative experience with your business and you will lose trust and credibility as a business. Yikes!

This is a bit of an extreme example but you would be surprised at how many clients we work with that have services on their old websites that they don't offer anymore! If you where an eCommerce business you don't say you have stock that you sold out of a year ago. Big red flag!

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So, how do you ensure your website ISN'T hurting your reputation?

First and foremost - keep your website up to date.

Make sure it sounds like you, that your images are optimised and relevant. That you have created clear pathways for your customers to take and it has an overall modern feel and look. Just make it part of your processes - If you had a shop in Downtown Wellington, you would change the window regularly right? The same goes for your website. If you have any questions please ask us!

‍Creating positive experiences for your customers is key to growing your business and building up your reputation. Word-of-mouth is a super effective way to get new business. However, when we get a referral the first thing we do is Google and check you out online SO... ensuring that your website is an accurate reflection of you and your business cannot be overstated. Let people then know what they can expect when they work with you, starting with a great user experience.

To conclude, don't let an out-of-date, misleading website ruin your reputation; invest in making sure your online identity is as true a reflection as possible. Put in the time to create a website that is easy on the eyes and can properly showcase what you have to offer so you shine brighter than ever before!

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P.s. We offer FREE Website Audits! Let us help you figure out where your website could be improved and how we can ensure your reputation is protected!

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