An outdated website is like spinach in your teeth! Your first impression is incredibly important. The design, usability and content of your website speak volumes about your company’s professionalism, attitude, and commitment. The modern customer is digital savvy, and your website is the first place they will land when they want to know who you are and what you stand for.
When your site looks neglected, don’t expect potential customers to take a second look. If you want to create a good first impression, inspire visitors, and convert leads, you need to invest in a modern e-commerce store. Here are the top reasons to give your e-commerce site the refresh that it needs.
To Update an Old Design
An e-commerce website should be modernized at least every three years. However, most companies take shortcuts by trying to bandage an old site instead of redesigning it. Unfortunately, even people who have little knowledge of websites can tell that your site isn’t up to the current standards. When your site looks new, captivating, and easy to navigate, your chances of landing a customer increase.
To Solve Platform Shortcomings
The architecture of your site highly impacts user experience. You may realize that many people are coming to your site but few are taking any meaningful action. When your site loads slowly, isn’t responsive, and has confusing features, it discourages visitors from taking further action. Recreating it with the latest technology will solve these issues.
To Improve Website Content
Poorly crafted web content can seriously harm your e-commerce business. To increase traffic and conversions to your website, up your content game. Since search engine optimization has a high return on investment, make sure you design your content around SEO. Consider the actions below.
- Perform keyword research to find the type of keywords your target customers are searching.
- Use longer keywords that are less competitive.
- Place your keywords strategically and naturally in your content.
- Build links to boost the authority of your e-commerce store.
To Meet Your Business Objectives
If you feel you have done everything right but your efforts are yet to bear fruit, it’s time to reevaluate your strategy. Some of the new tactics you should start deploying include using a call-to-action, introducing incentives like free shipping, simplifying your checkout process, using reviews and testimonials, and displaying security badges on your site to build trust. Other actions you should consider include building brand awareness through social media sites, email marketing, and paid media.
related post: 4 surefire signs that you should redesign your website
Tips to Consider When Updating Your e-Commerce Website
E-commerce modernization is a huge undertaking that requires time and resources. You can use the extra time currently on your hands to refresh your site. Here are some essential tips that you should consider.
- Refresh the display and features. The graphic elements of a site enable visitors to easily scroll through a site, remember the contents, and visit it in the future.
- Boost your site speed. Aim to have a website that loads in two seconds or less. Slow load times will affect your ranking, traffic, and sales. You can use various tools to gain insights on page speed.
- Have a look at your competition and industry leaders. What are they doing that you aren’t doing? Compare your site with that of a successful company in your industry, note your shortcomings, and try to close the gap.
- Enhance the user experience. Don’t focus too much on features and information. Make sure you ease the user journey by incorporating an on-site search functionality, chatbots for customer service, a mobile-friendly layout, and a straightforward interface.
- Don’t disturb your brand identity elements. Your site logo, color scheme, and typography are what helps your visitors to recognize you. To avoid confusing your customers, make sure the new look has a resemblance to the old version.
related post: Are you collecting the right data from your website visitors?
Bottom Line
As an online merchant, your number one objective is to drive sales. To do that, your e-commerce store needs to be up-to-date. E-commerce modernization will help you connect with more people, convince prospects, solidify your customer base, and stave off competition.
If you are looking for ways to turn your website into a powerful sales machine, Ironmark has digital marketing specialists that can help you achieve your goals. Feel free to get in touch with us to discuss your online marketing needs!
