How to Know When and What to Upgrade About Your Website

Your website is a core part of your business, although you might not feel that it is. It sure is at the fore front of your battle for attention. Keep it shiny, performant and on top of the evolution. Disclaimer: This post was written by Noupe staff through an activation with HireInfluence on behalf of Liquid Web. Although we received compensation for participating in the campaign, all thoughts and opinions are our own. We all know these people. They put as low an effort as possible into their web presence and then run around complaining that their site has no value for their businesses. In the worst (and wrongest) case they claim that running a website is useless. I still hear business owner make these statements. It astonishes me every time. People, we are in the year 2017. Wake up. Well, as you are currently reading this article I suppose you are not that kind. But even those that know the real value of a strong website struggle from time to time. As the site ages and the services mature should the site not reflect that? Should it not grow or at least develop over time? The answers to these questions are not straightforward. Instead, it depends. It certainly depends on how you built the site initially. Did you use the latest technology, are you hosting with a powerful partner, did you put effort into the design, visually and in terms of UX? Even if you did, web technologies develop darn fast. On the other hand, you need not jump on every train that passes. So, let's take a look at the top reasons for upgrading your website and how to recognize them.

Your Web Host is Invisible

I know hosts that you don't hear from at all unless you forget to pay their bill. In this case, you hear them very loudly and, boy, are they responsive then. I prefer hosts that keep themselves involved; hosts that do not only offer storage space and a cloud connection. It's easy to come to the conclusion that these hosts do not even exist. In fact, most hosting companies seem to not care much about the customers' businesses. It's their duty to provide space, but not more. Luckily, there are a few hosts that define themselves as an extension of you and your team. People that want your website to run in the best way possible. You need a web host for people who make a living from the web, who create for themselves and their clients and who don’t feel web hosting being at the core of their business, although it sure is a core part of the necessary infrastructure. People like you and me need a web host that takes the technical part of running the websites we create seriously and fights to keep them up and running. It’s not so much a question of machine power; it’s more a question of mindsets. Liquid Web™ is an example of a web host that commits to both aspects. They offer the technical stack for any demand from their own data centers, not from a shared space in some other’s server farm. And they work with the right mindset, as they aim to become the World’s Most Loved Hosting Company where The Most Helpful Humans in Hosting work. [caption id="attachment_102804" align="alignnone" width="1024"] One of the Most Helpful Humans in Hosting at Work. (Photo: Liquid Web™)[/caption] Liquid Web™ specifically targets web designers, developers, and digital agencies creating mission-critical sites or storing business-critical data for small- and medium-sized businesses aka You. They offer the whole array of possible hosting solutions. Whether you need Dedicated Server Hosting, Managed VPS Hosting, Cloud Hosting, PAAS or Managed WordPress Hosting, and more. It’s all there. Does your website need a faster foundation? Consult the team over at Liquid Web™. They will be happy to support you on your way away from servers to services.

Your Website Does Not Function Well on Mobile Devices

Are you serious? But, yes, I know that the vast majority of sites out there do not function well on the smaller screens of mobile devices. This should be not only a warning sign but a bold red alert sign. Change that immediately. I know that there are clients with small budgets, the smaller the business, the smaller the budget. But still, they need a digital representation on the web. Sure it’s supposed to look quite decent and not as if it was born yesterday. But it doesn’t have to be cutting edge technology either. Do you have clients with these tiny budgets or are you one of these clients and looking to do a responsive website on your own? Take a look at Mobirise then. [caption id="attachment_102184" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mobirise Builds Websites from Blocks. (Screenshot: Noupe)[/caption] Mobirise is a website builder that comes as an installable app for Windows and MacOS. The app is completely free to use, only some themes and extensions are available as a paid offering. The installation is done in two minutes, no information is requested. I had the software running faster than any web-based site builder I know. With Mobirise you use Bootstrap without even knowing or needing to know it. There is no faster way of building a responsive version of your or your client's website.

Your Website Has That Nineties Look

Design is not art. Design has to be effective in achieving its goals. Still, we can't deny that a vísually appealing design has more chances to succeed than one that looks outdated. [caption id="attachment_102805" align="alignnone" width="1024"] (via Brutalist Websites)[/caption] Even visually appealing design can be bad, however. Always keep the goal of your site in mind. Does the design help with that? Make sure that the looks of your site fit with your brand. The latest hipster looks might not be fully appropriate for your tax consultant business. Design is always best when it is frictionless. All these gimmicks or foot angles left unseen hamper the user in reaching the information or service he was looking for. As users are an illoyal bunch, you shouldn't risk loosing them that easy. Do some serious UX design and follow the best practices. Even the visuals can be objectified, more or less. We have the psychology of color, the color theory, typography knowledge and we know that people like proportions such as the golden cut promotes.

Conclusion: Don't Go With Every Fashion, But Care For Solid Basics

First and foremost, find the web host of your dreams. The right technology supported by a motivated team of staffers can do wonders to your web presence and free you from the tedious tasks that don't bring in any money. Care for responsiveness in design. There are way too many smartphones and tablets out there to ignore all these potential customers. Keep your website visually updated. Don't go with the latest fashion. Instead turn to proven tactics, knowledge, and skills to #KeepBuildingBrilliant. Featured image by geralt on Pixabay