"We updated our website during the pandemic when we had some down time, it's totally fine today."
If you've caught yourself thinking or saying this, I've got news for you ... you likely have an outdated website. Websites are meant to be a living breathing part of your business. The old adage of "set it and forget it" doesn't apply here. Many businesses make the mistake of thinking their website is an asset to their business, not a liability ... but they also neglected that asset for the last five or six years. The cost to your business and your reputation is taking a hit, even if you don't realize it.
Security Vulnerabilities
You don't have to go far to read about big name platforms that are seeing out-of-date plugins become vulnerabilities. We've been talking about this since 2022 right here in The Keep, comparing WordPress to our Wombat Juice code base. While the numbers are dated, the data hasn't changed ... 70% of WP sites have experienced some sort of security issue.
You are risking customer data, site downtime, and your business reputation when the framework of your site becomes out of date. It's an easy target for hackers, and the cost of recovery can far outweigh your cost of prevention.
Your SEO Is Eroding
You may have once ranked well for some key phrases you care about. However, Google rewards modern, fast and well-structured sites. And LLMs are prioritizing recent content over older content. An aging site is gradually losing ground in the search rankings. Most business don't even notice until the change is drastic, and at that point you've got to rebuild from the ground up to try to outpace your competitors.
Mobile Experience Has Moved On
Have you gotten a new mobile device in the last six years? Is the screen, browser and interactions on that phone the same? If you are like most people, yes; you have gotten a new phone and no; things are not the same. A frustrating mobile experience means your potential customers are immediately closing their browser tab and giving your competitors a shot.
Quick Activity Break: Go log in to Google Analytics (let's hope you actually upgraded to GA4 since the pandemic!), and check how much of your site traffic is coming through on a mobile device. B2C will see a higher percentage than B2B, but either way this split is increasingly favoring mobile over the last five years.
Your Brand Credibility Takes a Hit
Visitors to your site form an opinion about your business within seconds of visiting. An outdated design, slow load time, or missing/broken links and images are a major red flag. Visitors can perceive your business as being out of date in other ways if you haven't made your online presence keep up with the times. [I'm looking at you, COVID-19 Response banner] People trust companies who appear trustworthy. Your website may be detracting customers without you even realizing it.
Technical Debt Compounds Over Time
The longer you wait, the more expensive the eventual fix can become. Small issues become large issues. Think about how well your computer would operate if you hadn't run/accepted an update in the last six years? Are you even still using the same computer you were six years ago? Websites are built in a similar fashion with technology behind the scenes that can become obsolete, unsupported and potentially even compromised.
What's Next?
It's time to honestly assess your site. If you don't feel qualified to do that, we have a team of people who would love to provide feedback and recommendations. There's no charge to have a conversation at JH. We want you to have the information to make the best choice for your business. Reach out to start a conversation today.
