How Old Is Your Website Really?

The web is fast paced, changing and always evolving. Trends also change frequently; before Facebook and Twitter, we had Myspace, Friendster and Friends Reunited. Not so long ago animated gifs, tiny text, guest books and background music were all the rage.

The digital industry is so fast paced, it is estimated that there are approximately 4 web years to a normal earth year. So how old is your website really?

Why should I care?

The short answer is you could be missing out on a lot of opportunities to reach your clients and customers.

With new developments in web technology comes new user behavior and with new social networks comes even more opportunities to connect with the people you’re targeting.

Had your website build in Flash a few years ago? It probably looked jazzy and had cool animations, but I bet it wasn’t easy to update. The biggest drawback of having a flash website right now is the lack of support from mobile browsers. With more and more people using their phones to access the web, can you really afford to ignore those users?

Speaking of mobile…The web economy is set to double by 2016 (I would bet much sooner). That is mostly due to the current trends in mobile web growth. Traditional desktop web browsing is predicted to fall, so if you’re spending money on a new website, shouldn’t it be designed to be properly accessible from a mobile phone?

Design trends change frequently too. Ever been to a website that just looks…old fashioned? How do you want your company to be perceived by your customers and clients? Having your website updated does not guarantee that you won’t get an old fashioned design, a quick check of a web company’s portfolio should be able to give you a good idea though. Designers also have to keep up with the latest trends but it’s also important not to follow trends too closely. Good design should always be consistent with your branding.

There’s more to life than Facebook and Twitter. If you’re in retail, an architect, designer, jeweler or anyone in a visual industry take a look at Pinterest. At the moment it’s driving more referral traffic to websites than Google+, LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube. It’s not useful for everyone but if you have something visual to share that people might like, then consider encouraging people to “pin” your images with a “pin this” button.

Research your niche and find out where your customers are hanging out on the web, there are plenty of smaller, more specific networks and communities online. If you’re not that technical make sure you select a web design or digital marketing agency who’s keeping up with the latest industry developments.

How often should we get a new website or a refresh?

Four web years to and earth year doesn’t mean you need to start from scratch every year. Sometime a refresh may be good enough as a temporary measure. If you started out with a quality web design company, chances are your website will last longer (if you were able to update it frequently).

As a general rule of thumb you should look at getting a new website between 18 months and 3 years of launch. By 5 years you’re looking at a pretty old fashioned website. Keep a eye out on what’s happening in the digital industry and if you can’t make sure you pick a design agency who will.