Top 7 Reasons Why an Outdated Website Can Hurt Your SEO
You own a café in a quaint little area of Santa Clarita. You’ve been in business for 15 years, and your website…well it’s also 15 years old. You haven’t updated your address since last year when you moved your location. You haven’t updated your menu. And you don’t even know how to get a hold of the web designer who created your website to begin with. It’s time for a refresh. Here are the top 7 reasons why an outdated website can hurt you SEO:
Poor User Experience
Old or outdated websites are often difficult to navigate, load slowly, and have non-responsive layouts. This first impression can turn away people that are new to your website. Which means they’re less likely to become new customers. Not to mention outdated designs will confuse potential customers and hurt your branding.
2. Lack of Mobile Optimization
It’s 2024; not only are modern web practices of the utmost importance in digital marketing, but so is mobile optimization. While 63% of people use their laptops or desktops to access the web, almost 95% of people use their phones according to this Thrive article. So, make sure your website looks good and is user friendly in the mobile version. It’s even more important.
3. Outdated SEO Practices
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. You can’t optimize your website with old tactics. And if you haven’t touched your website in years, it’s likely not even optimized. Which means you won’t be coming up in search. Outdated practices like keyword stuffing or lack of meta descriptions can flag your site and lead to lower rankings. Let’s avoid this. Hire a web designer in Santa Clarita to redesign your outdated website.
4. Slow Load Speed
What’s worse for user experience than a slow load speed? Unoptimized images, heavy code, and outdates plugins are common in older websites and slow down page load speed. This will harm your rankings. And worse, even if people do get to your page, they likely won’t have the patience to stay on it due to the slow load speed.
5. Security Exposure
Technology is always advancing. Older technology can be more susceptible to cyber-attacks and security breaches. Not to mention older technology won’t be compatible with newer software or programs. This can lead to lack of trust and lack of engagement from users.
6. Broken Links
Links that don’t work or the dreaded 404 error reduce credibility and customer engagement. It’ll make you look unprofessional and sloppy. Avoid this by refreshing your website and fixing broken links. And of course, if you can’t do it, hire a web designer and SEO expert who will fix your links and optimize your site.
7. Outdated Content
Imagine finding a new café online and planning that brunch to catch up with your friends, only to drive up to it and…the café is not there. The business owner forgot to update the address and is losing customers each day. Would you go out of your way to find the new location? Probably not. They wasted your time. Don’t be this business owner.
If your website needs a refresh, reach out to allie@redletterdigital.com for beautiful designs and SEO optimization.
