How often to upgrade websites

Is your website outdated, tired, slow, boring, quiet or in general doesn’t showcase or reflect your brand or business the way it should? Then you need a website upgrade to get your business back on track.

On many occasions I have been to big trade events as a guest in large event halls like Impact Arena and Bitec in Bangkok where companies have represented themselves in fancy eye catching booths, while handing out leaflets and business cards to potential customers walking by. I have checked their business card for their website address and opened their company site on either my laptop or mobile phone in one of the coffee shops in the halls to learn more about their business but I’ve been left shocked and appalled at the quality of their site. Some of their websites look as if they were designed back in the nighties when the world wide web was just starting out.

How is it that these companies can spend so much money on their booths at these events in order to stand out, appeal to their target market and generate more business yet fail so miserably on the most important showroom they will ever have – their website.

You only really get one chance to impress

Whether we admit it or not, we all judge people, places, experiences, events on our first impression. Your website is your door of opportunity. How your website looks reflects on your company and the services you provide. Having a homepage with a nice background image, a high resolution company logo, your contact details and a message saying brand new website coming soon in my opinion is a better alternative to a boring outdated, slow, aged website that your visitors will click and never want to connect or do business with your company.

This is the reality you are faced with and I can’t be more clear – How your business is perceived and how you are judged will start from the very first moment your customers enter your website.

Get a website upgrade to improve your business and beat your competition

Time is an illusion. While there is no exact timeframe that one should get a new website built, I will say that from our experience in the field of web design, we find that a website revamp is needed once per year, or at the very least every 12-24 months. The reason I give this timeframe is based on a number of factors. Technology changes, fashion and styles change and your competitors are always trying to compete with you and provide something better. You might get a new website designed and launched in January for example but further down the months, competitor A just revamped their website while competitor B is working on theirs. Competitor C has seen all your websites and now they are doing everything they can to beat all of you. Competitor D might be a little slow and not interested but now there is a new competitor on the block and they are fresh with new ideas and this new competitor E wants to blow you all out of the water.

Don’t misunderstand the above and devote all your time checking on your competitors because most of the time if you focus entirely on yourself and keep improving all aspects of your business then you will know when it’s time to improve and upgrade all aspects of your business that may include a new website design.

But competition is a good thing because it makes all of us improve our services and want to be the best. You only need to look at when big organisations came to Pattaya and Thailand in the Supermarket field like Tesco or Carrefour (when they were around). It forced local rival supermarket chains to up their business and especially improve their levels of customer service.

So aim to be the best in your field and do so by providing the best website experience for your site visitors with a modern and user-friendly web design.

Set new goals, be the best you can be and if you’re gonna do it then at least do it right

We all have our individual dreams and our individual goals. For some it’s a larger house with a big swimming pool while others it’s the best education for their kids. But in general, unless we win the lottery or inherit large sums of money then we can only achieve most of our goals through wealth. After all, everything costs money and even time is not free. So if you are going to do something, you should aim to do it right.

There are times when we can all settle for second best and there is no shame in coming last. But in that frame of mind and way of thinking I am referring to non important things and events like running a charity race or competing in an all you can eat competition. But in the business world, when your customers have worked hard for their money and they hire you to perform a service for them, then you should feel shame if you fail to deliver unless it’s out of your control (Hurricane, Tsunami etc).

Your customers buy into your brand, use your services or purchase your products based on trust. They want the very best from you and so they should. They have paid you and you must deliver. Your company website should reflect who you are and how you operate. If it’s dull, boring and aged, then perhaps your business or services you provide will be judged in the same way. Aim to be the best you can be and showcase your company or brand with a professional web design. You can then feel proud when you hand out business cards with your website address knowing your site truly reflects your business in the best possible way.

It’s never too late to start again

Never give up or throw in the white towel. Your business can be the best in it’s field and while you need to work hard in all aspects of the company, it’s never too late to get a new website to provide your company with a much needed boost.

PATTAYAMEDIA.com are here to help. We promise we will work as hard as we can to propel your business to new heights. Whether you are based in Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket, Thailand or any country in the world it doesn’t matter – We can service you anytime, anywhere on any web design project. It’s our company goal and our company motto to help make your online business a success.