A website serves as the digital front door to your business. It’s a 24-hour sales tool that works to promote your services, products, and company to prospective customers and potential employees alike. Creating a website can be a big lift for any organization so it’s understandable that the idea of starting the website process again is daunting. That brings us to the question of the day: how long does a website last?
We know you’re looking for a concrete answer but there are a lot of factors that go into how long your site will last. These include content management system (CMS) upgrades, content freshness, design trends, imagery, and security. Regular maintenance, content updates, and CMS updates are crucial for extending a website's lifespan.
1: Content Management System
Your CMS has a lot to do with the lifecycle of your website. Make sure you choose a CMS that regularly provides updates to fix bugs and introduce new features as well as gives you the flexibility to grow and change your website content over time. At Click Rain, we exclusively utilize Craft CMS for our website clients for exactly this reason. Let’s dive a little further into the CMS features we feel are key to extending the life of your website.
CMS Maintenance Updates
As we all know, technology and the web is constantly evolving. Websites built 5 years ago that haven’t been updated since will be using outdated technology. Regular updates and maintenance of a CMS can greatly prolong a website’s lifespan.
Another issue with an outdated CMS is that security vulnerabilities are more likely to be found. Product developers aren’t able to constantly update old versions of their product to patch security issues. Product versions are often given an end of life date when a new version comes out. Once that date is reached, the product developers will no longer make any updates to that version.
Flexibility in a CMS
A flexible CMS allows for your website to adapt as your business grows and changes. Whether you're adding new pages, features, or functionality, a flexible CMS provides the infrastructure to accommodate these changes without requiring a completely new site.
A flexible CMS makes it easier to manage and update content regularly. Whether you're publishing blog posts, adding new location listings, or making changes to existing content, a flexible CMS makes the content management process easy.
2: Content
They say “Content is King” for a reason. The content on your website matters not only for those reading your site but also for search crawlers like Google to match your website with those utilizing search to find products and services you offer. Here are a few things to consider to keep your website content fresh and competitive in the ever-changing SEO landscape.
Content Updates
You get a new site and you have all this wonderful content, but then you never touch it again. Stagnant websites may lose visitors and become less effective over time. It is important to regularly update your content to remain relevant to your audience. Leaving website content alone for too long may also be a poor reflection of your brand or the services you provide. A business is always evolving and your website needs to stay in sync with new products, services, or the way you speak about yourself.
SEO
Not only do your users appreciate new content but so do search engines. Updated content provides search engines with more opportunities to index and rank the website's pages, improving its ranking and organic search traffic over time. Google updates their algorithm regularly so staying up to date with the latest changes and following the evolving best practices is key for keeping your website visible on search engines. Google appreciates quality content so if your content becomes stale or out of date, it could actually work against you.
3: Design
We’ve all come across websites that look straight out of the 20th century. Content may be king but nothing kills a user’s interest or trust in a brand faster than a website that looks dated. It gives off the impression that a business doesn’t care about its brand or online presence which can hurt its reputation. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to the design of your website.
Design Trends
Design trends change over time. Websites that look outdated may lose credibility and traffic. When your website is first designed you will need to determine if you want something that is cutting-edge or a little more reserved. A cutting-edge site will look really great for a while but will start to look dated much sooner. Redesigning or refreshing the design periodically can extend a website's lifespan.
At Click Rain, we follow tried and true design principles to ensure that our websites are striking and interesting but stand the test of time.
Brand Changes
Brand changes (like a new logo or brand style guide) can impact your website's visual identity, messaging, user experience, SEO, and credibility. Whether you should get a new website depends on the extent of brand changes. Consider investing in a new website if brand changes are substantial, the current website is outdated, if budget allows, and it aligns with long-term objectives.
Imagery Updates
If you’ve been using the same images since launch it’s often a good idea to add new imagery to your site. Changing your images can breathe new life into a website, making it feel current and engaging to visitors. Fresh visuals can capture attention and encourage users to explore further.
