In this insight we will explore how an outdated website can lose you money, but also various easy and essential things you can do to keep on top of this.
Security vulnerabilities
Not updating your website can expose it to several security risks. These vulnerabilities can have serious consequences for your business. If your website is down, you can miss out on potential prospects and lose vital information.
Here are a few of the main security risks you are exposed to if you have not updated your website:
Outdated Plugins and Themes: Plugins and themes can also have vulnerabilities that need regular updates. An outdated plugin with a security flaw can provide an entry point for hackers to inject malicious code, compromising your entire site.
Weak authentication mechanisms: Stronger authentication methods become available as security practices evolve. Not updating your website, implementing multi-factor authentication, or continuing to use weak hashing algorithms for password storage makes it easier for attackers to gain unauthorised access.
Dependence on outdated libraries: Websites often use various frameworks and libraries that need regular updates to fix security issues. Older JavaScript versions for example may contain security vulnerabilities. Attackers can exploit these flaws.
So how can you avoid this?
Going through regular security updates and installing patches can reduce the risk of these security issues massively.
Poor user experience
A user experience in terms of a website refers to a visitor’s overall experience when interacting with and using a site. It encompasses various aspects such as usability, performance, content, design, interactivity, and trust.
As tech develops exponentially, so do user expectations. An outdated design with poor navigation, slow loading times, lack of fresh content and no call to action can ruin your user’s trust and ultimately tarnish your brand image. Users are less likely to return to your site after having a poor experience. This not only increases your bounce rate but also decreases your customer loyalty. So where are these users going? They are going to your competitors!
Complicated checkout processes, unclear calls to action, and confusing navigation can discourage users from completing purchases or contacting you. This directly reduces your sales and revenue!
Overall a positive user experience involves ensuring your website is intuitive, fast, mobile-friendly, and visually appealing but also conveys your messaging. Good UX not only meets user needs but also supports your business goals and growth by improving customer satisfaction, loyalty, and conversion rates.
To ensure your website has a positive user experience, carry out regular usability testing and updates to improve site performance and user satisfaction. There are so many platforms out there that can do a review of all your content for you! They can show you which pages and what content are slowing down your performance and therefore need some extra attention! We use GTMetrix to review our website pages. Although this is not a free tool it breaks down your page performance in an easy-to-read and summarised report. A free tool that is used is Google PageSpeed. Although this is free, you should be mindful that this uses Google’s algorithm and therefore isn’t as accurate as using a tool such as GTMetrix.
Outdated content
This is one of the most common factors contributing to an outdated website. Outdated content is just any content that is no longer relevant, or useful for the business and website.
When potential clients look at your website, they want to be reassured that you have expertise in your industry. They may want to see examples of your work and they also might be using your website for relevant information. If they find it is outdated or lacks quality content they will be put off from returning to your site and this could be a lost lead, ultimately making you lose money. So how do you keep on top of this?
Schedule content review sessions. This could be once a month or once a quarter. Are your policies up to date? Have you showcased any recent work that will appeal to your users and help them to convert?
Compatibility issues
Not updating your website not only impacts the design and content of your site but it also can lead to several compatibility issues that pose risks to performance, security, and user experience.
Browsers are continuously updating and changing. This means that new browser versions may not support outdated HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This can hugely impact your website, causing elements to not display correctly or even break.
New devices also have regular changes and updates. If your website is outdated when a new device is bought out or updated, different screen sizes and resolutions may not render your site correctly. Now more than ever, mobile optimisation is so important. Over 50% of online shopping and browsing is done through mobile devices. If your site isn’t updated to support this, you can significantly impact user experience, leading to an increased bounce rate, and lack of customer loyalty.
But guess what? This can be easily solved but carrying out regular testing across different browsers, and implementing a responsive design.
Compliance issues
Do you know what the legal and regulatory requirements are for websites in 2024? With GDPR coming into force in 2018, rules regarding website protection, privacy, and other factors have been highlighted and become very important. An outdated website might lack necessary data protection measures, leading to non-compliance and potential fines.
Another compliance issue can arise around accessibility. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide a framework for making web content more accessible. Failing to comply with these guidelines can significantly put off users. In 2024 all web content should be accessible to all!
You can read more on the legal requirements of your website here!
Competitive disadvantage
There are multiple ways not having an updated website can leave you at a competitive disadvantage. Here are just a few:
Decreased Search Engine Rankings:
Search engines such as Google prioritise websites that are regularly updated and adhere to the latest SEO best practices. An outdated website can reduce your traffic and visibility, leaving your potential users to go to your competitors.
Negative brand perception
A website that feels and looks outdated can negatively affect your brand’s perception. This could make you seem less credible compared to your competitors who are perhaps regularly posting blogs and fresh content with new features and functionality.
Missed marketing opportunities
New marketing strategies often include the latest web technologies, for example, personalised engines or interactive content. An outdated website may limit these capabilities.
To make sure you aren’t at a disadvantage, we recommend monitoring competitors’ websites! What are they including and how can you stand out from others in your market?
Conclusion
The digital world is fast-paced, and so you should be too! If you want to stay competitive, avoid security vulnerabilities, comply with legal requirements, and ultimately make more money… you must update your website. Stay proactive; stay updated; and protect your brand’s reputation and growth. We have seen that most people have an ideology that updating and redesigning a website is a hard process. A task you might think of just putting to the back of the to-do list. But if you don’t update it soon enough you are at risk of all of these issues!
How can we help you update your website and online presence without the overwhelming digital fear? Let’s chat!
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