When to revamp your website

The web has changed a lot since it became public in August 1991 and has grown tremendously. In the year 2000 the world internet user population was around 361 million, now the internet user population exceeds 2.4 billion.

In terms of web design the internet moves very fast and websites that were modern five years ago can look ancient these days. Yet, hundreds of millions of websites are still stuck in the past.

But when is it time to refresh your estate agency website? Here are some signals that should help you identify when your website is extremely outdated:

Use of Flash

Amazingly there are still websites that are extremely flash heavy. Flash used to enable websites to produce visually interesting content to read, yet it has always been poor for usability and very slow. More importantly the search engines can’t read it, so your SEO will suffer.

You’re being out shone by the competition

When potential customers are searching the net they are likely to look around and odds are they will view your competition as well as you. If your competitions website exceeds yours in terms of design, usability or functionality you are likely to lose out on a lot of potential business.

No call-to-actions

If your website isn’t generating any leads, then there is definitely something wrong. The most likely reason for your lack of leads is probably due to the fact you haven’t implemented any clear call-to-actions. Call-to-actions should be placed prominently on each page, primarily your homepage to help guide the user through your website.

Too cluttered

These days’ websites should aim for ease of use, making minimalistic web design favoured among business owners. Websites that seem too stuffed can be a bit overwhelming for the user and deter them away.

Content heavy

Content is still key to any website. People visiting your website search for content that answers their questions, helping them solve a problem or complete a task. People also search for content that expands their knowledge of what they are searching.  

However, although content is extremely valuable too much can cause problems as well because:

• Web users don’t read, they scan content
• They only want the latest and most relevant content
• Word heavy pages will turn visitors away

You need to produce relevant content frequently to keep users engaged.  

These are the types of web strategies that are considered outdated these days. If you are unsure if your website isn’t up-to-date then request a web review here.