Planning a Website Update? Read This First! (+ 5 Expert Tips)

If you’re unsure whether your site needs an update, you need to watch for some of the critical signs of trouble. Let’s explore those signs:

• High Bounce Rate: A high bounce rate means people are taking one look at your site and saying, "Nope, not for me." If your bounce rates are climbing, it’s a sign your current site isn’t resonating with your target audience. 
• Slow Loading Speed: Today’s website visitors aren’t patient. If your site is loading slowly, you’re in trouble. Slow load speeds mean you’ll hemorrhage potential visitors and get dinged by Google, which will also mean you’ll have trouble ranking. 
• Outdated Design: If your website looks like it was designed the first time low-rise jeans were in style, it might be time for an update. Design isn’t everything, but an outdated site communicates that you’re out of touch, which isn’t the message you want to communicate to your audience. 
• Low Conversion Rates: If your website visitors aren't turning into customers, something's off. Low conversion rates are like fishing with no bait — you might get lucky once in a blue moon, but mostly, you're just wasting your time.
• Poor Mobile Responsiveness: If your website looks great on desktop but turns into a jumbled mess on mobile, you've got a problem. With more people browsing on their phones than ever, if you have a non-responsive site, you’re shutting out potential customers.

Related Read: Is Your SaaS Website Design Optimized To Fuel Growth?

If your site struggles with the above points, it’s time for a website update. A site update can feel daunting — and expensive — but it’s well worth your while. A fresh, modern website can boost your credibility, improve user experience, increase conversions, and even help your SEO. 

But here's the million-dollar question: How often should you update your website? Your site update isn’t a one-and-done process. There’s no set rule, but you should look at your site at least once a year. Our best tip is not to wait for a complete overhaul if something isn’t working. Make small updates regularly instead of waiting for a total redesign every five years.

Think of it like tending a garden: Keep things fresh and relevant by making tweaks and pruning things over time. 

1. Focus on the User Experience

First and foremost, when you update your website, you need to put user experience (UX) front and center. A well-designed user experience can significantly impact your site's performance and conversion rates. Here's how to prioritize UX in your website strategy:

Prioritize intuitive navigation and clear information architecture. Implement a logical menu structure and use clear, descriptive labels for your navigation items. Consider incorporating breadcrumbs for larger sites to help users understand their location within your hierarchy. 

As discussed earlier, you must also ensure your site offers a solid mobile experience. Your site should adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes, providing an optimal viewing experience across desktops, tablets, and smartphones. This includes ensuring text is readable without zooming, buttons are easily tappable, and forms are user-friendly on smaller screens.

Related Read: 11 Creative Website Menu Design Examples You Need To Copy

Implement fast loading times to reduce bounce rates. Optimize your images, leverage browser caching, and consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to improve your site's speed. Regularly test your site's performance using tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights to identify and address any speed-related issues.

Use heat mapping and user testing to optimize layout and content placement. These tools provide valuable insights into how visitors interact with your site. Heat maps visually represent where users click, scroll, and spend time on your pages, helping you identify which elements attract attention and which might be overlooked. 

2. Craft Magnetic Content

Content is king! But not all content is created equally. To engage with your audience and drive conversions, you need content designed to resonate with your target audience. Let’s look at how you can accomplish this on your site.

• Align content with the buyer journey: Understanding the stages your potential customers go through — from awareness to consideration to decision — is crucial for creating content that guides them through the sales funnel. Map out content ideas for each stage, ensuring you're providing valuable information that addresses buyers' specific needs and questions at each point in their journey. 

• Prioritize value: Your content should go beyond simply promoting your products or services; it should provide real solutions to your audience's problems. Conduct thorough research to understand the challenges your target market faces, and create content that directly addresses these issues. 
• Personalize your content: Not all audience members have the exact needs or interests. Develop distinct buyer personas and create tailored content for each. This might involve segmenting your email lists, creating landing pages for specific industries or roles, or using dynamic website content that changes based on user characteristics. 

Remember, crafting magnetic content is an ongoing process. Regularly analyze your content's effectiveness using metrics like engagement rates, time on page, and conversion data. Use these insights to continually improve your content strategy over time. 

Related Read: B2B Buyer’s Journey: How To Eliminate Friction & Maximize Results

3. Optimize Every Page

Optimizing every page of your site is essential if you want to maximize your online visibility and attract quality leads. 

Start with keyword research. Conduct thorough research focused on keywords that perform well for B2B search intent. Unlike B2C searches, B2B keywords often reflect more specific industry terms, pain points, and solutions. Utilize tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify keywords your potential clients use in their search queries. 

You should also optimize for long-tail keywords that capture specific B2B searches. While long-tail keywords typically have lower search volumes, they often indicate higher intent and are less competitive. For example, instead of targeting "CRM software," consider optimizing for "enterprise-level CRM software for financial services." This specificity helps you attract more qualified leads who are more likely to convert.

Next, create comprehensive pillar pages. These pages cover broad topics and include internal links to more specific, related content. This structure helps search engines understand the breadth and depth of your expertise and provides a valuable resource for your audience. 

You should also implement technical SEO best practices for improved crawlability and indexing. This includes:

• Using a clear, logical URL structure
• Implementing XML sitemaps
• Optimizing page load speeds
• Ensuring mobile responsiveness
• Using schema markup to provide context to search engines about your content

No page should be a "dead end," make sure there is a clear "next step" on every page. Every page on your site should guide visitors toward a desired action or CTA.  

Optimization is an ongoing process Like everything we’ve discussed so far. Regularly review your pages' performance using analytics tools, and be prepared to make adjustments based on data. Pay attention to metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rates to understand how well each page serves your audience and your business goals.

4. Find a Centralized Platform 

Another pro tip for your website update is to move your site to a centralized platform. Having a centralized platform to manage your website helps with efficiency and performance. Your site doesn’t operate in isolation; it is a key component of your overall marketing and sales ecosystem. 

Look for platforms that offer native integrations or robust APIs to connect with your existing CRM and marketing automation tools. This integration allows for smooth data flow, enabling you to track leads from their first website visit to conversion and beyond.

Another best practice is implementing tracking codes for accurate attribution and ROI measurement. Implement analytics tracking codes, conversion pixels, and other necessary tags to gather comprehensive data. This data will help you attribute leads and sales to specific marketing channels and campaigns, allowing for more accurate ROI calculations and better decision-making.

You’ll also want to set up proper data flow between your website and other marketing tech stack components. Ensure that data collected on your website (such as form submissions, content downloads, and page views) is properly synced with your CRM and other tools. 

Finally, choose a flexible CMS that can grow with your business. Your content management system (CMS) should be scalable and adaptable to your evolving needs. One platform worth considering is HubSpot. HubSpot offers a comprehensive suite of tools that includes a powerful CMS, CRM, and marketing automation capabilities. Its benefits include:

• All-in-one solution for marketing, sales, and service
• User-friendly interface for content creation and management
• Built-in SEO tools and recommendations
• Robust reporting and analytics
• Seamless integration between website, CRM, and marketing tools

If you want to make your website update a breeze, you’ll also want to use a modular site builder. One tool that excels in this area is Sprocket Rocket. Sprocket Rocket is a modular website design system that offers key benefits such as:

• Faster development and launch times
• Consistency across your website design
• Easier updates and additions to your site
• Improved page load speeds
• Flexibility to create unique page layouts using pre-designed modules

The goal of your website update is to create a site that performs well and moves the needle for your business. Creating a seamless, centralized site environment can help you optimize your site over time, and implementing a modular site builder enables you to roll out updates quickly and easily without needing to hire another developer. 

5. Use Data for Decision-Making

Last but not least, if you want your website update to be a smash hit, you need to use the right data to make the right decisions. By leveraging data effectively, you can make informed choices that enhance user experience, improve conversions, and drive ROI. Here's how to harness the power of data for your website strategy:

First, you must set up comprehensive tracking to measure key performance indicators (KPIs). Begin by identifying the metrics that align with your business objectives. These might include:

• Conversion rates for lead generation forms
• Time on page for key content pieces
• Bounce rates for landing pages
• Click-through rates on calls-to-action
• Revenue attributed to specific marketing channels

Related Read: The 6 Growth Marketing Metrics Every Business Needs To Track (& How To Track)

Next, you need to regularly analyze user behavior and conversion paths. Don't just collect data — make it a priority to analyze it regularly. Look for patterns in how users navigate your site, which pages they spend the most time on, and where they tend to drop off. Use tools like Google Analytics Behavior Flow report to visualize user paths through your site. 

You can also use A/B testing to continuously optimize page elements and CTAs. A/B testing, or split testing, allows you to compare two webpage versions to see which performs better. Test various elements such as:

• Headline copy
• CTA button color and text
• Form length and fields
• Page layout and design
• Content presentation (e.g., video vs. text)

Finally, implement goal tracking to measure the impact of website changes on bottom-line metrics. Set specific goals in your analytics platform that align with your business objectives. These might include form submissions, content downloads, or demo requests. ‘

For example, if you implement a new chatbot feature, you can track how it affects the number of qualified leads generated. Or, if you redesign your product pages, you can measure the impact on demo requests or free trial sign-ups.

Nail Your Website Update With The Right Framework

You've now got five solid tips in your back pocket to kick-start your website update. But if you want to craft a website that dominates the market, you need more than a handful of tips. You need a battle-tested, fool-proof framework. It's the difference between having a map and having a GPS with real-time traffic updates.

That's where our free training, "The 4 Pillars of a Winning Website," comes in. This comprehensive training contains the distilled wisdom of countless website builds, the cream of the crop of best practices and strategies proven to create websites that don't just exist — they excel.

Don't let your website update be just another task on your to-do list. Make it a game-changer for your business. Check out "The 4 Pillars of a Winning Website" training today, and let's turn your online presence from "meh" to "magnificent.