Let’s Be Realistic

Every business, big or small, needs marketing, but not every organization needs the same types of marketing or branding services. Depending on how much you plan to invest in marketing or how much you already have, you might not need the same services as other businesses in your niche. So, let’s get started on what services you might need to start 2020 on the right track!

Is My Website Ready For 2020?

Your website is the face of your brand, which means it needs to be at its best. 2020 is almost here, which means if your website was last updated in 2010 or earlier, then there’s a good chance you need to redo your entire website! Since 2010, many things have changed such as the emergence of smartphones or the numerous Google search ranking updates, which means that your website is most likely not bringing in business or even driving away business! Nowadays, most people will check your website before almost anything else if they are thinking of doing business with you, so it needs to be at it’s best. Here’s some questions that can help you determine whether you need to update your website for marketing or not.

Does It Look Outdated?

Sometimes, all you need is the classic eye test and here’s why. It only takes users 50 milliseconds to decide if they like your website. If you don’t like how your website looks or think it’s outdated when you perform the eye test, can you imagine what your potential customers think? Most likely, they think they can find someone who’s up-to-date on things now. Sounds harsh, but it’s the truth.

Depending on your industry, your website might not need a huge change, it all depends on if it’s actively bringing in customers or not. Bottom line, though, if your website looks like either of these examples below, find a web design agency immediately!

 

Bad Website Example
Outdated Website Example

Can I Change My Content Easily?

Here’s another very important thing for any business but especially those in the retail, real estate and food industries. When you have sales, menu changes or any other possible changes, how easy or difficult is it to make that change? If it’s difficult, you might want to consider moving your website to a content management system (CMS).

When you build a website, you have to build it using either code or a content management system. When coding, it can be very difficult to make changes as you have to go to a lot of different areas where the code is found and change it. That usually means having a web developer on staff, which for some, is feasible. Now with a content management system, such as WordPress (which this website is built on), the code is pre-formatted and labeled as building blocks, which are much easier to change.

Again, if your website needs changes often or is used much more in your marketing scheme, consider a CMS for easy changes.

Is My Website Mobile-Friendly?

Last, but maybe most importantly, how easy is it to use your website on mobile devices? The reason why is because mobile traffic is just as important as desktop and now accounts for about half of all traffic worldwide. Not only that, Google checks to see if your website is mobile-friendly when determining where to rank you. If that’s not enough, consider the way the world’s going. In Oct. 2019, 5.13 billion people have access to mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.)

If your website doesn’t respond well to mobile, then you need an immediate update.

Can Videos Help Me Grow?

Yes, videos can help you grow! How? Well, it’s pretty simple actually. Video content is king. In fact, 85% of all internet users in the U.S. watched online video content last year! People are hungry for video content of all types, whether it’s an explainer video or a sponsored Facebook video. Not only that, videos establish you as a legitimate business who can offer them something they need. No matter what, you need to get some videos. If you’re still not convinced, check out this more in-depth article we have on the topic.

 

Does My Business Look Outdated?

Be honest here. It can be hard to look at your business from an customer’s point of view and evaluate your business but you need to. Not only your physical location, but also your branding, your marketing materials and any forms or papers you regularly give to your customers. These are all representative of you and determine how your customers see you.

Am I Showing Up Online?