What is the average 'shelf-life' of a website?
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A website absolutely has a shelf-life, and this is usually around the 3-5 year mark. This is because technology advances at such a rapid rate, and websites can become dated pretty quickly. Google will also favour websites which run quickly and deliver a solid user experience journey. But how do you really know when it’s time to redesign your school website?ed a new website is because your conversion rate has dropped. If you’re seeing a steady decrease in website conversions (form fills/enquiries) this could mean that your website is clunky, slow and users are not finding the information they need, therefore they’re making a quick exit in search of something else. If you think this might be a problem with your website, then have a look at your website bounce rate in Google analytics. If it’s high (typically above 70%) then that’s a fair indication that people are not finding what they need and losing interest.
Your website is running slowly
Whilst there can be several factors for seeing a drop in the search results pages (SERPS), this could be due to your website running slowly as it’s using old technology, and Google takes site speed into consideration when it’s deciding where you appear in search results. Think of it this way – if Google send one of their users to your site and they wait a long time for it to load so they leave, Google hasn’t done its job properly. They don’t want to risk losing users so they’ll favour sites that deliver a UX that’s quick and responsive!
Your content is poorly optimised
Google’s algorithm is continually updated and SEO is something of a black art!! Google doesn't tell you how to rank on page 1, and they certainly don't make it easy. Unless you’re using PPC (and even that has strict rules you need to abide by) then your content has got to be king to give your target audience the information they need when they need it. Littering your content with keywords is no longer the holy grail of search engine optimisation – user intent, however, is. Writing content and optimising it based on what a user intended to find when they searched for those keywords is going to score you points in the race to the top.
Your traffic if decreasing
You have to evolve as best you can alongside the world’s most impressive computer algorithm if you want to stay at the top of those SERPs! A combination of all of the above can result in a drop in website traffic, and a full website audit will help you to determine the causes and inform your decision for taking the leap and deciding to redesign your website.
If you want help to audit your current website and assess how your digital marketing is performing to support your website goals, get in touch and let’s make progress.