We have found that many companies are afraid to touch their website because their site is ranking high in the search engines. They figure “if it isn’t broken, don’t touch it!” Makes sense…

However, the website may appear “not broken” but in fact it is broken in many ways.

Today’s internet user is different that just a few years ago. The expectations of users has evolved and the technology landscape is vastly different. It’s been said that in the world of computers, 1 computer year is the equivalent of 15 human years… If your website is 3 or more years old, it’s middle-aged and planning for retirement…

The proof is in the trends. The amount of desktop computers solds per year is dropping significantly. Tablet sales are skyrockets. Mobile phone usage is more prevalent and prominent. Here are some statistics to consider about your website:

  • Mobile internet search will surpass desktop search by 2015
  • Mobile local searches lead to more spontaneous purchases.
    • 61% will result in calling the business
    • 59% result in physically going to the business
  • Global shipments of PCs and laptops is in a freefall. Smartphones are becoming the “go-to” device.

 

If your website isn’t a “responsive design” site or has some sort of mobile page, you may be missing out on a lot of traffic that will never convert. Today’s internet browser doesn’t differentiate between industries. By taking a look at the most popular websites (see Alexa ranking http://www.alexa.com/topsites), it is easy to find that the top 20 rankings are either mobile, responsive or both. They expect all ecommerce sites to work like Amazon or better. They expect mobile sites like Yahoo, eBay, Twitter, Instagram and others.

As long as the new website is built using real data from the existing site such as which pages get the most traffic, a new website has so many benefits that it out weighs the minor seo ranking dip that may occur. Having a site rank well is important, but what is more important is converting the traffic you do get into sales. Having a website that is current, adjusts to the various internet browsers and has seo-friendly website pages is very important. Having these new characteristics will have a better chance at CONVERTING the traffic you do get. Too many people focus on SEO ranking. What is more important is converting the traffic that arrives to the site.

Having a website that is easy to read, adjusts to the different internet browsing devices such as desktops, tablets and phones, and has a clear call-to-action is what will convert traffic. Who wants a bunch of window shoppers? Isn’t the real business when someone enters the store and actually purchases something?

Having an up-to-date website is more important today than ever before. The internet user has high expectations of all websites they visit. They expect all ecommerce sites to be similar to amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. Whether a small business or a large one, the bar is high and consumers expect it from everyone they do business with. If your website is not up-to-date and current by using modern website frameworks that adjust to different browsers such as desktops, tablets and mobile phones, you may be missing out on the internet traffic you are getting.

Besides, using Google Analytics, we can determine which pages are performing best and can use simple scripting to keep those pages ranked high on the search engines.