If your website was built five years or more ago and has barely been touched since, you’re likely losing business every single day.

Here’s why – and more importantly, what you can do about it.

The Hidden Cost of an Outdated Website

Picture this: A homeowner’s boiler breaks down on a cold February morning. They grab their mobile and search for “emergency plumber near me.” Your business appears in the results, but when they click through to your website, they’re greeted by a design that screams 2018, tiny text they can barely read on their phone, and a contact form that doesn’t work properly.

What do you think happens next? They hit the back button and call your competitor instead.

This scenario plays out thousands of times across the UK every day. Your outdated website isn’t just failing to impress – it’s actively repelling potential customers who would otherwise be happy to hire your services.

Why Customers Judge Your Business by Your Website

In today’s digital-first world, your website is often the first impression customers have of your business. Research shows that users form an opinion about a website within 50 milliseconds of landing on it. That’s faster than the blink of an eye!

When customers see a modern, professional website, they infer the business it represents is reliable, current, and competent. When they encounter an outdated site, they will wonder whether you’re still in business, whether you care about quality, and whether you understand their needs as modern consumers.

This is particularly crucial for trades businesses, where trust is everything. If a customer can’t trust your website, how can they trust you with their home’s electrical system or their roof repairs?

Here’s  some more factors to consider with an outdated website that will be sending those who land on your home page bouncing straight away again ….

• The Mobile Revolution: More than 60% of UK consumers now use their mobile phones to search for local services. If your website isn’t mobile optimised (responsive) it will appear as a messy muddle on a small screen which site visitors will not stick around to sort out. There’s also the fact that Google’s algorithm prioritises mobile-friendly websites, so it adversely affects your visibility in search results.
• Speed Kills: If your site takes longer than three seconds to load, 40% of visitors will abandon it. We’re all in a hurry nowadays, so if your website load speed is hampered by bloated code, optimised images, poor hosting and a variety of other impediments it will be costing you custom.
• Content Graveyard: A website with content that has blatantly not been refreshed for years is a total turn-off. Anything like images of very old projects, ancient testimonials, incorrect contact information, historic blog posts or any other dated content will either give the message that you’re no longer in business, or that you don’t care about staying current and up to date. It’s also very bad for search engine optimisation (SEO) and will lose you rankings.
• Security Certificate: Web users are notably security conscious, and are unlikely to want to engage with a website that lacks an SSL certificate which authenticates your identity, and allows for an encrypted connection. It’s immediately obvious when a site has SSL protection because the URL will start with https:// instead of just http://.
• Calls to Action: Those all-important points of contact on a website need to be prominent and plentiful, making it easy for visitors to be guided towards engaging with your site. It may be a prompt to fill out a contact form, request a quote, or find out more. Site visitors need to be encouraged to easily convert into customers. If they don’t know what to do next, they’ll simply leave and head elsewhere.

How to Rescue and Revitalise Your Online Presence

If you’ve read this far you’ll now be wondering how you can rescue and revitalise your outdated trades website either yourself – or preferably with the help of professionals like a small digital agency who understand the nuances of optimising web design, development and SEO to work well in the local area you serve.

The first thing to do is to carry out a dispassionate audit of your website. Examine it from the point of view of a site visitor, and if it is found lacking set about correcting the inadequacies, both on and off-page.

Here are just some of the basic criteria to check and, if necessary, put right, when you audit your website:

• Prioritise mobile-friendliness and load speed – you can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and PageSpeed insights to see how your site performs. Make sure your site has responsive web design, image optimisation and is free of unnecessary code.
• Consider the design and user experience (UX) your site offers. Does it come across as modern and professional? It needs a clean, uncluttered layout, professional imagery, easy navigation, and a modern colour scheme and type fonts that are easy to read and reflect your brand.
• Fresh content is crucial for both users and search engines. Make sure the website has:
• Accurate and detailed service descriptions (what you do, where, and for whom).
• Local SEO integration with your service location included naturally within the content.
• A blog or news section that is regularly updated with useful articles related to your trade.
• Testimonials and case studies to showcase your work and positive feedback from customers.
• An About Us page to tell your story, with photos of you and your team, so people can be sure who they are hiring.
• Is your website properly optimised for local SEO – paramount for trades businesses. This involves things like claiming and filling out your free Google Business Profile with accurate information as fully as possible; ensuring your business name, address and phone number (NAP) are included and consistent in online business directories; and create dedicated web pages for services in specific towns or areas you cover.
• Make sure there are strong, strategically placed Calls to Action (CTAs) to make it easy for potential customers to get in touch.
• If your web address doesn’t start with “https://” it’s not secure. You need an SSL certificate, offered free by most hosting providers (including agencies like Dentons Digital).

Keep Up The Good Work!

A website should never be static. Once it is updated you need to keep a constant track on key metrics to measure and monitor whether the improvements are working. Keep an eye on website traffic, time spent on site, contact form submissions and phone calls. If and when the numbers start to slide, investigate why and adjust the site accordingly. This is best accomplished by setting up a Google Analytics account and integrating the tracking code into your site.

Most importantly, keep the content fresh and up to date. Make sure your site visitors are engaged and encouraged, keen to hire you to attend to their needs.

The question isn’t whether you can afford to update your website – it’s whether you can afford not to. Every day you delay is another day of lost opportunities and customers choosing your competition instead.

If you’re ready to take action and transform your outdated website from a weak link into a dynamic 24/7 showcase for your trade business, you can ask for a no-obligation website audit from Dentons Digital. Let this be the day your business begins to thrive like never before!