A lot of businesses often jump on the internet when they first enter the market. But the problem is that those initial websites often end up not being maintained. This is especially so for smaller businesses and those from industries where an online presence was not that important. However, times have changed, and you likely need to bring your company’s website back to life. Many of these websites date back more than ten years ago. A lot of things have changed since then. Here are some tips on how you can ensure that your website update is a success.
Audit What Is There
The first thing that you should do is to take stock of what exactly your old website looks like. A lot of these old company websites are nothing more than a few HTML pages. One is a landing page that welcomes visitors to the site. The remaining pages are usually a company history and a contact page. Some even have a vision and mission page that highlight the company’s purpose. However, it would be best if you went deeper than that and do a full evaluation of what is there. There might be things you can save or move to the updated website. But more likely, you will be identifying exactly what needs changing. It should also tell you whether there are any obsolete technologies like Flash or others involved in the sight.
Change The Platform
One of the big changes you will be making it use the WordPress platform. A lot of websites in the 2000s were built from the ground up. One major change since then has been the use of WordPress as a way to simplify web design. A good way to update your site would be to contact a WordPress design service and give them the specifications that you need. They can then create a website that should be much easier to manage and update the site. You can also easily integrate various new technologies like streaming and responsive web design.
Give It A Whole New Look
While some looks are timeless, your old website likely looks a lot dated nowadays. Times change and the taste of people when it comes to what they think is cool is much different nowadays. Additionally, there are design elements that are essential for modern websites. In the early 2000s, smartphones and tablets were not as common as they are now. The big difference is that sites usually have responsive design and higher interactivity.
Make It User-friendly
Ease of use is still a major issue nowadays. Older websites are usually a mess when it comes to user-friendliness. For example, they are difficult to navigate, have unresponsive controls, and broken links. Your real goal in the update is to make your website a lot less frustrating to use. With better user functionality, your visitors will have a higher chance to stay on the site and learn more.
Think Of Modern Features To Add
There are several features that you would like to add to make your website even more impressive. The best feature that you can add is to have an online store. If you sell something like toys, books, or other items, giving way for your customers to buy your products directly can be a big boost to your sales. Other interesting features might include a chatbot to help with customer service and even a testimonial page so that satisfied customers can submit their stories.
Web design has come a long way. What seemed to be cutting edge and impressive a decade or more ago is now cliché and boring. It may even be a liability. With a modern update, your website can become a great representative of your company to potential customers. Now you can be sure that you are putting your best foot forward when it comes to your online presence.