Everybody knows that for a company to be taken seriously these days, you need to have a website as a part of your online presence. For many consumers, the first thing that they do when researching a new company is check out their website and social media presence. In addition to potential customers, a company website is also a key source of information for job-seekers that may be interested in working with you. Or maybe you’re looking for investors to help your company grow. What will they think if you don’t have a great looking website design?
A professional online presence adds credibility and creates trust with anybody that is trying to learn more about what you do. An effective website helps create this while also giving your company a chance to tell its story in its own words.
You know a website is important. So you built one.
This is the path that so many business owners find themselves on. Maybe you’re a business owner and you got the job done yourself. Or maybe you tasked one of your employees to set it up for you. It’s no secret that there are countless tools out there that offer an easy to use interface where all you have to do is click a few buttons and you’re up in running for a nominal fee. One way or another, you’ve satisfied the immediate need of having no website, and life is good.
In a perfect world, once the website is built, everybody goes back to their normal job. The entire team rallies and helps with posting content to the site regularly. The search engines index you at the top of their results pages. Your website is booming, and why would you possibly need to outsource your website maintenance?
But this is reality, and it is rarely perfect. In reality, websites need constant work and attention in order to be successful. If you’ve got a person on staff that can handle it, then that’s great. But it so many cases, it just becomes another thing on an already-overworked employee’s plate.
These 7 things can be a good indicator that it’s time to outsource your website
- Lackluster traffic – You need to keep your content fresh. This is imperative if your company’s website is ever going to rank in the search results. Not only do you need somebody that is a proficient writer to create content regularly, but you also need somebody that can get the content on the website and promote it. You may also need somebody that is technical enough to optimize the pages to encourage search engines to index your site. Depending on how aggressively you want to go after certain keywords, this can become a full time job…or 2…or 3.
- Making updates is confusing – Do you ever find yourself Googling for hours just to make a simple design update on your website? Can’t figure out where to add text in a CMS template? Sometimes making updates in one area will make another area display incorrectly. Once you’ve got things set up on your desktop, you might notice that it doesn’t look right on a phone or tablet, so you go back to Google to do more research. This is another good sign that a web expert’s help is needed.
- Ongoing security breaches & regulation changes – Sometimes it can seem like there’s no rhyme or reason. Your website will get pounded with SPAM comments, or even worse – shut down because of a security breach. The folks in Washington and Brussels know it’s an issue, so they’re constantly creating new regulations that you need to adhere to, creating just another thing to worry about. Keeping your customers’ data safe and secure and keeping your security up to date is a battle that never ends. If this isn’t something you do regularly, it can become a time consuming and expensive side job. Or worse yet – land you in serious legal trouble.
- Competitors outfoxing you – Your competition is your best critic. They will scour your website looking for discrepancies or holes in your sales pitch so that they can exploit them and win more customers away from you. Keeping an eye on the competition, trying to understand their tactics, and out maneuvering them day to day is the recipe for success. Pay attention to what prospects are saying to you, if you notice a pattern in how they’re continually comparing your competitors with your website, that can be a good indicator that you need to make some adjustments.
- Your website looks ‘dated’ – It doesn’t take long. Design trends change constantly, as do the latest lead capture methods and calls to action. You’ll notice when things start to look a little dusty. Those rough edges that you used to overlook will become more prominent, and getting employees to take on the responsibility of a redesign can be like pulling teeth. You’ve also got to make sure that you stay on top of new devices and browsing habits to ensure that you’re reaching the largest audience. If this is you, you might want to look for a better way.
- You don’t know what to do next – The infamous administrator’s fatigue. When it seems like you’re just treading water – spending tons of time on your site and getting nothing done. We’ve all been there, and it’s hard to keep yourself motivated. Especially when there are so many other things that your business needs. Sometimes you need a fresh perspective in order to really get your website to the next level, an outsourced website administrator can be a great solution.
- No time to do other things – This is the most telling of all. The website has consumed you. You have no time to think about marketing, sales, or delivery. All you do is work on your website, addressing some mix of the first 6 items, or maybe one of the countless other menial tasks that managing a website requires. You need some type of pressure release valve and outsourcing your website maintenance can be just that.
You’ll know when it’s time
These things may be obvious, and you may be willing to endure them for a time. But there is much to be said for hiring experts when you’re trying to scale your business. Our packages include front to back maintenance of your website. Depending on the package, we may even help with content writing or creating new graphics! Let us help you design a new website and keep it running by addressing the 7 items above and more without you having to sweat the small stuff. Check out our packages and contact us to find out more!
