Is It Time for a Website Makeover?

Here are a few clues to let you know if your website is in need of an overhaul.

1. It was built in the 90's or early 2000's
   Websites based on "old-school" design methods were built using tables and without standards-compliant CSS techniques. These days, with multiple devices displaying websites, tables are considered bad practice because of inconsistent layouts across devices and challenges adjusting layout and design. Adhering to CSS standards helps with style consistency, ease of maintenance, browser consistency, and faster loading pages.
2. Its All Image
   Does your website consist primarily of images or was it built entirely in Flash?
   Some images and bits of Flash are fine, but the foundation of your site should be live text or text generated by the browser. This is a search engine friendly option and is helpful to users with slower connections or those who are vision impaired and use screen readers. Also, image or Flash based websites don't always render properly on mobile devices. Many mobile devices will not display Flash at all so you may be losing a large percentage of your target audience.
3. Titles and Tags
   Title tags or the words at the top of the browser window are very important ingredients to getting good search engine results. Those titles should be customized for every page. The Meta tags in the code of your site should also be set up with your keywords for optimization purposes.
4. Junk Code
   Ugly code can create all sorts of issues for your website. While you may not know the difference between clean or cluttered code, search engines and browsers do and that can cause your website to render improperly and deter search engines. How to find out if your website is written to today's standards? Run it through the HTML validator http://validator.w3.org and see if errors come up. That's your first clue.
5. Your Website Looks Like Its Stuck In the 90's
   Yes, we loved the grunge look and Beanie Babies back then but if your website has animated clip art (remember the cute dancing hamster), frames and scrollbars, visitor counters, flashing text and pop-ups, its time to consider a redesign. If your website looks outdated, your business looks outdated. First impressions do count. If your website does not feel professional, your potential customers will move on - possibly to your competitor.
6. Your Website Reads Like the Encyclopedia Brittanica
   Website visitors don't like to read - that much. If your website has paragraphs upon paragraphs of text on every page, your main message might get lost. It is a good idea to consider a rewrite to condense your copy and maybe reorganize the structure of your website to make sure content flows. Excess information can be provided in downloadable white papers so visitors can print and read them at their leisure.
7. Updating Your Content Requires a Degree in Programming or Special Clearances
   Is the content on your website circa 2003 and emails to your webmaster go unreturned? Or once you get access to your site, you can't make heads or tails of how to go about changing or adding text? Updated content is crucial to having a website that entices return visitors and keeps search engines happy. If your website is not easily updatable, its time to consider a new solution that allows you to access and update your site content. Content management solutions come in different packages that are user and budget friendly.
8. Content is King But Your Website Copy Looks Like The Joker
   This is a marketing mantra that rings true in every form of promotion including the web - especially the web. Your content needs to speak to the customer, address his or her problem and offer solutions and defines your services and what sets you apart from your competition. Take a good look at your copy and bring in other eyes to determine if it’s working for your visitors. Consider a rewrite or call in a copywriter if your content is not speaking to your customer.