What’s the cost of an out-of-date website?

Do you love sending people to your website because you know it's amazing and showcases your business as the best solution to solve their problems?

Do you feel super happy with your website's performance and the level of business it brings you, or do you wonder if it could be doing better?

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When people find out I run a web design agency, 80% of people immediately say:

"oh don't look at mine it's terrible" - It usually is.

"I don't think websites really work for my kind of business"

"I used to like mine, but now it's out of date and I don't know what to do with it"

And then there's the "Oh my [friend/relative] built mine and it's fine". Fine doesn't equal sales. They generally don't understand what you need to do to attract and convert new customers! These websites are usually just an online brochure.

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Your website is your business and marketing hub that attracts your ideal clients and then gives them a clear pathway to show that you and your business is the perfect solution to their problem.

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What would it mean for your business if...

Your website showcased what a perfect fit your business is for your ideal clients and was bringing in a lot more leads and sales than you’re currently getting? Let's talk about what it really takes to position your website to actually make this happen.

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What’s the real cost of an out-of-date website?

When someone hears about your business through referrals, advertising or social media, one of the first thing that they will do is visit your website. How do you feel about that?

If your website is out of date and not aligned with who you are or what you do any more, their first impression of you is not great...

And there is a good chance they are looking at your competition too.

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So, how do you measure up next to your competitors?

If your competitors' website looks more up to date and more appealing than yours, your visitors are more likely to move towards working with or buy from them. It's natural - you would do the same thing when you are making purchasing decisions. If something looks older and more out of date, has maybe an unloved look and feel, we trust it less.

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This is why your website needs to look fresh and modern as well as be designed for conversions. Its import to

1. Stay relevant

Businesses are changing every day, there has been a lot going on over the past couple of years and you need to stay dynamic to stay relevant. Keep up with trends, markets, communities and customer expectations. Clients judge, sad but true (and we all do it) if your website looks less up to date than your competitors the assumption is your business is less up to date too - ouch!

2. Stay secure

An unloved and unlooked after website faces a straight out risk to your security. It creates vulnerabilities for scammers / malware to get in. if your website gets perceived by search engines, you can get blocked - no one wants that to happen.

3. Keep your rankings

Nothing much happening on your website is perceived by search engines as lacking relevance - a HUGE part of a ranking factor, so even if you had awesome SEO optimisation and set up, doing nothing will see your rankings tumble.

4. Keep clients interested

Don't be boring! Next to attracting new clients is keeping your existing clients and repeat business. Updated images, blogs, resources, case studies can keep things fresh and lively AND keep customers confident

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Great design for great outcomes

Good design is important - BUT great conversion focused design that also looks good is the Gold Standard you should be aiming for. It's not about having the best looking website, it's about having the website that brings the best results for you and your business.

There are stunning looking websites with no calls to action or clear customer pathways that are simply not designed for conversion. Then there are older websites that might have performed well at some point, but not so much any more.

Where ever you sit on the website spectrum right now, there is a lot of online competition and it's easy to get left behind.

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Strong foundations

To design a high-converting website, there are 3 key things you need to understand before you even start.

1. Who is your audience
2. What is the problem you solve
3. Why you?

Once you know who your website will be focused at and how you help them solve their problems, we can help you define a website strategy that takes your online customer through a customer journey from visitor to customer.

THEN we can design you a high-converting website; a website specifically designed to persuade your visitors to take action because they trust that you can help them.

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Every website needs

A next-level website design must include the following:

• Position your website for your audience so they feel in the right place and that you are the person/ business they need
• Lead with value, have super helpful content
• Have case studies, projects and work examples to showcase your experience and build your authority.
• Use copywriting that’s persuasive and explains clearly how you solve your client's problems, and what could happen if they don’t choose you.
• Use testimonials on every page and logos of recognised brands/ organisations that you might have worked with to build trust
• Be super easy to navigate - no ambiguity, have clear road signs so they know what to do next
• Make sure the design has clear customer pathways to find the information they need to make a decision to opt in or buy from you

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Keep your website awesome

Always be updating your website and your online presence:

• Have a process to keep your website content fresh  eg image changes, copy updates, new customer logos for your trust builders, ongoing testimonials
• Check your social platforms and content are aligned with your website and your brand
• Keep creating helpful content that’s relevant to your current market - blogs and resources
• Regularly check your past content for relevance and update and repurpose
• Keep your website platform, security and maintenance up-to-date

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Review and refresh regularly and strategically

Businesses that want to keep growing, plan and budget for a regular website rebuild. Ideally every 3-4 years and sometimes more often if your business is evolving and changing or has not been built properly to start with!

Business is always changing, and so is the world (faster than we would sometimes like!) What your clients need now and what they might need or look for in a few years time could be hugely different. You will need to change in step with this, and so will your website.

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Case Study: Before and After

Colleen was referred to us by someone who had been to their place twice and was booking the next visit. She said Tavenui was the best kept secret because from their website she had no clue it was going to be as amazing as it was.

Colleen took a hard look at her website and saw while she very confidentially offered an award-winning 5-star experience, her website was a 3 star at best.

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What we focused on

• Attracting and converting new bookings
• Showcasing this wonderful resort
• Creating a more intuitive user experience
• Build connection, trust and credibility
• Future-proof the site for growth and easy management

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What we did:

• Aligned the look and feel of the website with the experience with the quality and service offered
• Showcased the accommodation with quality hero images, so guests could picture themselves
• Brought in all the amazing reviews per page to build trust
• Added all the details of what guests got as part of their booking eg 7 staff (yes really)
• brought the experience to life with great design.

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Before

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After

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Now, let me ask you, what does your website say about your business?

Are you super happy with it and proud to share it far and wide?

Is it a bit clunky and out of date?

Could it be holding your business back?

Is it time to think about investing in a website that drives growth for your business?

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Book a 15-minute call to see what might be holding your website back and what a difference an awesome website could actually make for your business.

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