Do you know that the average lifespan of a website is just about five years? Yes, it’s not much. And if your website was published back in 2010 or earlier, chances are it won’t last much longer. There is no scope for vanity here. Now, we all know that websites are changing rapidly, and keeping up with these changes can be quite a challenge for some. 

 After all, things change so fast that even Google has trouble keeping track of everything. That said, you need to update your website as soon as possible before it becomes obsolete and irrelevant to users. Check out the points further to know more:

What to check before updating your website

You can’t just go about updating your website without first checking a few things. This will help you avoid mistakes, save time and effort, and get the results you really want. So, make sure you go through the following before updating your website. 

• Date of Publishing – The publishing date of your website is an important factor to look at when updating your website. Why do you ask? Well, this is because the internet landscape keeps on changing over time, and if your website was published a few years back, it probably won’t be relevant anymore. 

• The Future of Your Website’s Domain – Your web site’s domain is another important thing to check before updating your website. Your domain tells the story of your business and brand. And if you’re using a domain that’s not relevant anymore, it can hurt your online presence. 

• The Traffic of Your Website – The traffic of your website is another factor you must check before updating your website. If you’re updating your website and it’s already receiving a lot of traffic, then you must check if it’s the right type of traffic. 

• The Google Rank of Your Website – The Google rank of your website is another thing you should check before updating. Google ranks your website based on its quality and relevance; so, if your website is old and outdated, it probably won’t rank as well as it did before.

Make your website responsive

This is a must if you want to keep your website from going obsolete. A responsive website automatically adapts and changes to fit the screen size of any device. This allows for easy reading and navigation without having to zoom in and out, and without any issues of misalignment. 

A responsive website is compatible with all devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. It is also friendlier to search engines, as it has less clutter and fewer chances for duplicate content. If you’re updating your website and it’s not responsive, you must make sure to update it as soon as possible. A non-responsive website can be a big letdown for your readers and can even lead them to go somewhere else.

Add a mobile-friendly menu

The navigation of your website is one of the first things people will see. The style and layout of your navigation menu can either make or break your website. And when it comes to updating your website, you must add a mobile-friendly menu. A mobile-friendly menu is one that’s easy to access, read, and click on on a smartphone. 

It’s laid out in such a way that it doesn’t take up the entire screen, thereby letting users see the rest of the website as well. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly menu, you should add one as soon as possible. A non-mobile-friendly menu can be difficult to use and navigate on smartphones, and it can look unprofessional.

Change the design, color, and layout

In addition to making your website more responsive and adding a mobile-friendly menu, you can also change the design, color, and layout of your website. This will help you update your website and make it more modern. If you create an entirely new design for your website, you’re basically designing a new website. You can, therefore, go ahead and make your website more modern, trendy, and appealing. You can also incorporate new colors and choose colors that are in trend. Colour choice can significantly affect how your website is perceived. It can also affect its click-through rate, conversion rate, and brand identity.

Reprogramming or rebuilding your website

If you can’t make your website responsive, mobile-friendly, and up-to-date with the latest trends, you can always reprogram or rebuild it from scratch. Hmm… Now that is an option! A reprogrammed or rebuilt website is built with the latest technology and trends in mind. 

It is a completely new website that’s up-to-date, future-proof, and more engaging. A reprogrammed or rebuilt website can be built on a new website platform such as WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or even a custom-built website.

Bottomline

 As you can see, updating your website is a must if you want to stay relevant. It’s important to keep in mind that times change, and so does the internet. Your website might have been amazing a few years back, but if it’s not updated, it might not even be relevant today. The good news is that you can update your website by making it responsive, and mobile-friendly, and changing its design, color, and layout. You can also reprogram or rebuild your website from scratch.