Could Your Website Use a Refresh?

Long gone are the days when your website could simply be an online brochure loaded with text and sparse on useful functionality. The internet is forever changing, and there are always new website standards to meet and security measures to update. Websites, just like businesses and organizations, are constantly evolving.

With e-commerce, streaming video, database driven content, and more, today’s websites have to work a lot harder. And since your website may be the only contact your target audience has with your organization – think of it as an employee that works 24/7/365 -- it’s more important than ever that it’s ‘findable,’ accessible, navigable on all major platforms, and well-protected from online threats.

Here are three questions to ask yourself about your website: If the answer to any one of them is no, it may be time for an update.

1. Is your website mobile friendly?

With 66% of the world’s total population using some sort of mobile device – and mobile data traffic projected to increase nearly 3x between 2018-2021 – your website needs to be mobile-friendly (aka: responsive). Sound like a painful transition? Fear not: The right developer (we count ourselves among them!) can make migrating from traditional to mobile-friendly easy, efficient, even enjoyable.

2. Is your website search optimized?

Competition for viewers and customers is fierce. Fortunately, proven search engine optimization (SEO) strategies and tactics can increase your search engine rankings and markedly increase your visibility. From compelling on-page content, to off-site links, to keyword management, to multiple forms of page, image, and downloadable document tagging -- your website can help search engines (and thus, your audience) find you more easily.

3. Is your website accessible?

Today, equal access to your online properties are as important as access to your physical plant. It’s also mandatory if your organization participates in the governmental, healthcare, or education sector. Font choices, descriptive photo tags, machine-readable text, and other characteristics can ensure your site delivers a positive experience for users with visual, audio, or physical disabilities.

4. Is your website well secured?

You might not think of your website as a portal into your business, but an unsecured website can be used to relay spam, offer hackers ‘free’ server space for illicit activity, as a way in for ransomware, among many other threats. According to Brian Rice, Director of Strategy & Alliances at our client Optistar Technology Consultants: “Like all tools, company and even individual websites require maintenance from competent experts to keep them updated, maintained and secured. Websites that are not maintained properly are vulnerable to exploitation and hijacking; your reputation and hard-won trust with your audience can be destroyed overnight. It is truly important to listen to your advisors and keep your site secured and maintained properly.”

We hope you found this month’s blog useful. If it sparked interest in making some updates to your site, please know we’re here for you and would be happy to toss you a quick estimate. Just contact Gail Cowley today to arrange a chat at 315.475.8453 x222 or gcowley@cowleyweb.com

Cheers!