When was the last time your company's B2B website got a makeover?
If you can't answer that question without asking the webmaster, chances are that it's time once again to redesign your site.
Even if your site is relatively new, remember that the internet is almost as subject to trends as fashion. Take a look at these compelling reasons to consider an update.
Top 5 Reasons Your B2B Website Needs a Refresh
1. It Doesn't Work (Well) on Mobile Devices
Over three-quarters of Americans now own a smartphone. Not only that, but 12% of Americans are entirely dependent on their smartphone for internet access. This number has risen steadily over the past few years, and shows no signs of stopping.
You might think that only B2C companies, like the neighborhood pizza joint or movie theater, need to worry about how their sites appear on mobile devices. However, this simply isn't the case.
No matter what your industry is, if your site looks wonky or is hard to navigate when viewed on a mobile phone or tablet, your visitors will swipe away.
There are essentially two choices when it comes to making mobile work: responsive web design or a site that is optimized for mobile. The first is a design that "knows" what type of device the user has, and "responds" so that its appearance is displayed optimally.
In the second instance, there are separate designs for mobile (smartphone or tablet) and for desktop. Mobile-optimized sites are often structured more like an app, although they are accessed through the internet just like a regular website.
Although responsive sites change according to the device, they don't adapt to it. Some features of a full desktop site -- like menus or sliders -- can be lost or take too long to load.
A mobile-optimized site is, therefore, a smarter choice.
It's not just clients who are turned off by a site that isn't mobile-friendly. Google actually penalizes those sites. The so-called "Mobilegeddon" update was implemented just over two years ago, so if you've seen your rankings flag in that time, this could be the reason why.
2. People Have Trouble Navigating It
Similarly, a site that is difficult to navigate will drive away business. It's tempting to cram as much information as possible onto every page, but resist that temptation. Instead, offer a sleek, clean, easy-to-use design.
A navigational bar is a good option. Since it's a common element, users are likely to look for one when they want to get around your site.
There are certain items that you want on every page. These include your phone number, physical address (if applicable), hours of operation, and social media links.
A contact form, coupled with a call to action (CTA) such as "Subscribe to Our Newsletter" or "Request A Free Quote," is also a great idea. CTAs make it easy for folks to get in touch.
3. Things Are Dated, Design-wise
If your website has a hit counter, flash animation, stock images, or lorem ipsum placeholding text that someone forgot to go back and replace, you're due for a new design.
The hit counter stopped being cool around the time GeoCities stopped serving the U.S. market. Flash was once the way to show off your web dev team's chops, but it slows down loading times, particularly for mobile users.
Stock images and lorem ipsum? Do we really need to elaborate on why these are bad design choices?
A few other, more subtle missteps could be holding your site back. Too much text crammed in "above the fold" is a relic of pre-scrolling technology, and it serves no purpose now.
Carousels, background videos, and excess JavaScript are also falling out of favor.
In short, aim for a combination of form and function. Clean, uncluttered design with clear destinations -- products, pricing, FAQ, blog, video, about us -- is the way to go.
4. It's Not Getting SEO Results
If you're not already working with search engine optimization experts, then a website redesign is the perfect time to start.
Before you embark on the update, conduct a thorough SEO audit. Check for missing or duplicate tags and other content, broken inbound and outbound links, and other issues.
This way, you will be able to clean up the entire site while you're migrating it.
Remember that the URLs of your website pages may well change during the redesign, so make certain that your webmaster creates 1:1 page redirects. This will preserve both user experience and the page authority that you've earned from Google.
The same goes for inbound links. If you can't request that other sites' webmasters update links on their end, at least implement a 301 redirect. Again, you don't want to leave your visitors in the lurch, nor do you want to lose the value of those backlinks.
5. Your Content Is Stale
Are you blogging? If so, good for you! If not, well, there's no time like your site update.
Companies with a regularly updated blog achieve 97% more inbound links and 67% more leads than those that don't bother blogging, or that do it haphazardly.
Your blog posts don't need to be massive dissertations, but they should be informative and entertaining. Make sure you're targeting the keywords you want to rank on, too.
The company that provides your web design and search engine optimization may offer content creation. Bundling these services is convenient, and will usually be more effective.
Take time to evaluate your CMS. Older content management systems can be clunky and time-consuming. A newer, streamlined CMS makes updating your blog, video offerings, and graphic elements easier.
Long (long!) gone are the days when simply having a presence on the Internet was enough to secure you a place in the SERPs -- or to satisfy your prospects. Now, you need an integrated digital strategy that combines SEO, growth-driven design, content marketing, and social media management.
Mind and Metrics is a full-service digital media marketing agency. We offer both creative and analytical approaches to marketing to help you do one thing -- grow your business. Learn more about us today!
