A website plays a pivotal role in both marketing and sales efforts and many times is the first impression customers have of a company. If it’s not up to date with current information or easily accessible by potential customers, then it’s losing money and leads. But what determines if a current website is sufficient or if it’s time for an overhaul? While there’s no firm lifespan for a website, here are four simple questions to ask. If the answer is “No” to any one of them, it’s time for a refresh.

1. Is it mobile friendly?
In 2013, mobile phones made up only 16 percent of worldwide website traffic. Fast forward to 2019 when 52 percent of all website traffic consisted of mobile traffic. Mobile traffic certainly isn’t slowing down anytime soon. It’s not just frustrating for customers who can’t view a website on their phones, it’s frustrating for businesses too. Sites that aren’t mobile friendly are penalized by the Google algorithm, which is what determines where a website shows in the search results. This can make it harder for customers to find the website even when they are willing to navigate a non-mobile friendly site.

2. Does it reflect your brand today?
It’s crucial that a website gives its audience an accurate look into the brand. Has the brand gone through an entire revamp since the website was built? Have new products been added that don’t appear on the site or were certain lines dropped or added? Maybe a leadership change has shifted the direction of the brand and it no longer looks like it once did. All of these on their own don’t necessitate a new website, but when piled on to each other, suddenly a website that hasn’t been properly updated with little changes along the way is now completely outdated.

3. Is it fast?
Not only does Google prefer mobile friendly sites, it also shows preference to sites with fast load times. Customers don’t have patience to wait around for a site to load. Forty percent of visitors will abandon sites that don’t load in less than three seconds. A slow loading speed can be caused by a number of reasons. Don’t know your site’s average load time? Click here to discover it.

4. Does it provide a smooth user experience?
Again, this goes back to having updated product listings on a site and fast load times. But more importantly, is the site easy to navigate? Is it laid out in a manner that’s logical for a customer? Are the menus easy to find and categorized properly? There’s nothing more frustrating to a user than navigating to a site and not being able to find what they want. Not only does an organized website satisfy users, it also helps with SEO efforts by reducing bounce rates.

Technology is always advancing. Even sites that are only a few years old can miss out on the latest technologies to make user experiences better. As these new technologies become commonplace, a site needs to be able to adapt quickly. If it can’t, visitors won’t think twice about abandoning your website for one that is easier to use.