Far too often, company websites are either out of date or on the other end of the spectrum – overly futuristic – and these two things can negatively affect your business.

A website that is overly futuristic runs the risk of making your business come across as unestablished, which in the consumer’s mind equates to an inexperienced workforce, or a workforce that is not as grounded as your competitors.

It also runs the risk of not being very user-friendly, which not only affects your business but also affects your SEO. Futuristic sites aren’t as damaging, however, as out of date websites.

Out of date sites run the risk of consumers thinking you’re out of touch with your own business, which may lead them to wonder if you’ll be in touch with theirs.

You also run the risk of losing credibility and sending customers your competitor’s way (we all want the best services and products we can afford – but if your competitor looks more credible, then who did you give business to if you were the consumer?)

Out of date sites can also cause you to not sell stock, and again send your consumers to a competitor’s store (as safety and security questions get raised both around your operation, your product, and your payment gateways).

Additionally, you could be penalised by search engines like Google, which rewards sites that are updated with better SEO rankings, which means higher up in search results as it keeps the content at the top fresh and relevant.

Any website in this day and age needs two things: responsiveness and user-friendliness. Interestingly though, if a website is not responsive, it cannot be deemed user-friendly.

Responsiveness relates to how your website adapts to the different devices it gets viewed on (i.e. mobile, tablet, and desktop friendly). It is so important that a site be responsive that search engines like Google reward responsiveness with a few extra SEO points.

User-friendliness relates to putting yourself in the shoes of your consumer. Does your user get a rewarding experience when visiting your site? Is the website easier enough for them to navigate? Does the website make them trust your brand?

Remember, an easy to navigate site that is compelling to its consumer will lead to more time spent on the site, which, in turn, boosts your SEO score and gets you higher up the search engine rankings.

For more information, visit www.theblueroom.co.za. You can also follow The Blue Room on Facebook or on Instagram.