1. Your website depends on Flash.
If your website is dependent on Flash, then you have dated yourself back into the 1990s and you need an update pronto! I have written a whole article about why you should not have flash on your website, so I won’t repeat much of it here.
2. Your website doesn’t look good or render well on mobile devices.
If your website is not even capable of loading in a mobile device like an iPhone, then you really need to update your website. Mobile devices account for a large percentage of website traffic these days and if your audience cannot read your website on their mobile device, then your website is out of date.
3. You cannot easily update the content of your website.
Do you have a copyright information in your footer that is not in the current year? Outdated content means that you have an outdated website. If your website content is hard to update or edit, then you need to add a content management system. It sounds a lot harder than it actually is. You need to be updating content to keep your audience and the search engines interested.
4. You are not tracking your website activity and visitors.
If you have a hit counter on your website, that doesn’t count — in fact, that is a sign you need help immediately. A hit counter means that your website is wearing the equivalent of parachute pants and Aqua Net hair. You should be able to know how many people visit your website and what their patterns are like.
5. You have an animated intro page or a splash page
Do you have a page that has no information about your business and just tells your visitor to click and enter? If so, then you need to get rid of it! The only splash page acceptable is a content warning page where you want some people to go away.
6. You have inconsistent fonts and styles, and use bad fonts like Comic Sans or Papyrus.
Do not dress your website in the equivalent of a cheap polyester suit that is more like a costume! Your website should have a cohesive design that represents your business well. Unless you are selling children’s products, Comic Sans is not a font that you should be using. Papyrus is also a cheap font that tells people that you are unprofessional and is used by amateurish designers who probably use Frontpage to build their website. Time to get a website makeover pronto because this is not the business image you want to project.
7. You have autoplaying media.
Unless you are a band promoting your music, there is absolutely no reason to be playing audio or video automatically for every visitor visiting your site. In fact, it is down right unprofessional and rude. While you should include audio or video, you should give your visitors a choice in whether or not to play them. Don’t be the website equivalent of an obnoxious, drive-by, ghetto-blasting, loud-thumping car.
8. Your content is in images.
If your content is encased in an image, then you are doing your website no favors because the search engines can’t read your content. If you use distracting background images that makes it hard to read your website, then you should act immediately and get that website redesigned now.
9. Your website does not have a call to action.
Does your website have a goal? If it is not clear what someone should do on your website, then it is time to consult with an expert and get that website redesigned. If your business has a purpose, then your website should have a clear call to action to the audience.
10. Your website has cluttered design, broken pages or links, and has old coding.
Is your website like Frankenstein or the Winchester Mystery House? Are parts not well designed together and flow easily? Your website is a reflection of your business and your audience should have a good experience visiting your website. The visit should not be confusing or upsetting to their senses. If your website is designed for obsolete browsers, has broken pages or links, or is coded in a much older version of HTML, then it is time for an update.
11. You have no social networking presence or blog integrated into your website.
Even though not every social network out there may be appropriate for your business, you should be engaged in a couple of social networks, or at very least a blog. Otherwise, you are just not keeping up with the competition.
Not sure what you should do with your website? Then get a website audit to receive a report with breakdown on the good, bad, and ugly of your website.