By John Eberhard

If you have an old, out of date, not fully functioning website, it’s time to get it updated. Not only is it absolutely necessary to have a website in the modern business world, it is absolutely necessary that the site looks great. A website is a representative of your company, and also the best tool for attracting new business to your organization.

If your website is old, out-of-date, boring or clunky looking, here are 10 reasons why you need to get a new website now.

1. First impressions: Your site is the first exposure that many people will have to your company. If your website is stale and looks like it’s stuck in the 90s, then guess what: everyone will assume your company is too. Or they will assume you just don’t care about your company’s image. You want people to know you’re doing well, staying current, and growing. Get up to date and celebrate your newness with a sharp, current website.
2. Customers expect you to be on the web: If you don’t even have a website, that’s an instant hit to your credibility.
3. Your competitors have great looking sites: If you’re competition is looking new and you’re not, that’s a problem. In today’s competitive marketplace, having a great looking website is not a luxury, but a necessity. And in most markets today, you need every competitive edge you can get. Check out your competitors’ websites and honestly see how yours compares.
4. Answer prospect questions: Your site should be set up to answer prospects’ questions easily, so you don’t have to field all those questions.
5. 24-hour access: A great looking site is up and accessible to prospects 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Even when your business is closed or you are on vacation, people can still find out about you and respond to your offers.
6. Your site isn’t mobile friendly: Google estimates that over 50% of all searches are now done on a mobile. And as of April 2015, Google is penalizing sites in their rankings that are not mobile friendly. If your site isn’t mobile friendly, you have lost ground in Google’s rankings. And your site will appear tiny on that screen and be unreadable.
7. You could be selling products directly on your site: It’s relatively easy today to set up a shopping cart to sell products on your site.
8. Your website copy (text) is old, out-of-date, or poorly written: If you have poorly written, stale or incorrect text, then the site is not doing the sales job that it should be and could be doing for you.
9. You’re not getting many (or any) responses from the site: Websites are supposed to get people to respond to you. If your site isn’t getting any people to contact you, it’s time for a facelift.
10. You can’t make any changes to the site yourself: WordPress format allows you to make changes to the site easily yourself. And most of our clients have been able to get up and running with making content changes themselves.

If you are afflicted with an old, lousy looking website, stop procrastinating. Stop back-burnering. It’s an essential part of your company’s image. Time for a new website.