Your website is your store’s digital storefront. It’s your first impression on prospective customers (and as Will Rogers said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”)
With a brick-and-mortar storefront, you would have to do things like touch up the paint, mix up the display window, and update the signage. These are all moves you make to communicate to people who you are as a business.
It’s the same with your website. From time-to-time, it needs a little loving, too,
A clear and authentic website is a powerful tool for you to connect with customers, differentiate yourself from the competition, and ultimately, improve your bottom line.
So, when’s the right time to refresh your website?
If you’re saying or thinking these three things, consider it your warning flag that the time is now.
ONE: “i haven’t touched the website since it first went live”
You start a business. In a rush, you put a website up to establish your online presence. Then, business grows - and your website remains as it was.
We’ve all been there.
It’s important to remember that all businesses grow and change. What worked five years ago - or even one year ago - won’t necessarily work now.
Besides, you’ve grown and matured as a business. It’s time to make sure your website reflects that maturity.
NEXT STEPS:
Conduct a website audit where you look at each page individually (and at the website as a whole) and identify:
What’s working
What’s needs some love
Where can you can kick it up a notch
(If you don’t feel like doing a DIY audit - toth shop can help; see the outcome from our audit of pineapple consulting firm)
TWO: “this website copy doesn’t even sound like me”
We hear this a lot with clients. Either they wrote it years ago when they were first starting out (see above) or paid a faceless agency an insane amount of money to write it - or most recently, they leaned on the shoulders of ChatGPT.
Whatever the backstory is, it’s important that the words and messaging on your website reflect who you are as a brand. If you’re finding a disconnect between your brand voice and your website’s content, consider it an opportunity to fine-tune your message with an updated website copy that showcases who you are, what you do, and why you do it better than the other guy.
NEXT STEPS:
You know your current website doesn’t sound like you, so it’s time to get super clear about what you do sound like. Spend time narrowing down how you want your brand to look, sound, and feel.
Pro tip: this NOT the time to use ChatGPT
THREE: “my website isn’t converting sales”
It’s great to get people to land on our site; it’s even better for them to take action once they get there. This could be joining an email list or submitting a form on the contact page (aka entering the pipeline); action could also be a visit scheduling a consultation or buying a product.
If you find visitors become stagnant once they get to your website, consider how you can ramp up your messaging and design to be clear, engaging, and action-driven.
PRO TIP
Here are some questions to get you thinking about opportunities to make your website more user-friendly:
Do I have clear CTAs distributed throughout (see Wild Child)?
Does tagline make it very, very clear what you do (see Healthgram)?
Is the site easy to navigate (see DesignCFO)?
If you want a little extra help tackling a website rewrite, toth shop can help. Let’s get started – fastest way to our inboxes is via our hello form on our contact page. (It will take you 5-7 minutes to complete, we promise.)
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