One big mistake businesses often make is assuming that, once they have a website that works well, delivers what it is supposed to, and looks pleasing, it’s time to move on to other things. It isn’t uncommon to see business sites that haven’t changed in years. While they may appear to work well, taking a closer look almost always reveals a need for a re-design.

Technology changes every day and keeping up with the new this new technology could take a website designer’s entire professional life. Whether it’s the coding language used to program, or the technology that keeps data secure and fast, there are always updates that could benefit a business owner’s website. Even people’s preferences change over time, meaning usability might change along with it.

If you haven’t looked at your business site in a while, here are 6 reasons you should take a look today. If you find updates are needed, make updating your site a resolution of yours for this year, so you don’t miss out on potential revenue.

1. Not Responsive

A responsive website changes to fit the screen sizes of the various devices it is viewed on. This is critical to think about, as more people connect to the internet using mobile devices than they do laptops or desktops. Nothing is more annoying to visitors than having to land on a page that can’t be fully seen on their gadget. What’s worse is having a site with interactive features that don’t work on mobile devices. Apart from losing the few visitors who have somehow managed to visit your site, your business could lose potential clients because search engines now penalize non-responsive sites with low SEO rankings, making it even harder for them to be found.

2. Irrelevant Content

Website admins should never forget the only reason visitors come to their site is because they’re seeking information that is relevant to them. If your website doesn’t deliver information in as concise a way as possible, or if it’s buried in so much text and graphics that it can’t be found, your bounce rate will be extremely high. It takes good web designing skills (and a good content writer) to present information that can hook users in the first few seconds after landing on a page. Then, it’s all about keeping them on and making them want to dig deeper. This is also where keyword research plays a big role. Finding the balance is critical. Making sure content isn’t outdated should be taken under consideration, too – old news is no news.

3. Bad Hosting

No matter how good a website is, it will be of no value to visitors if it isn’t online or if it takes ages to load. A business’ hosting provider plays a critical role in making sure their site is up and accessed at optimal speeds for 24 hours a day. And, truth be told, you can’t blame performance solely on your hosting provider, as there are so many options available now with low pricing and the latest technological features. If a hosting provider doesn’t deliver, then it’s time to seek new solutions.

4. Not Easily Scalable

Sometimes, businesses realize that their website is outdated and try to do something about updating or upgrading it… and that’s when the headaches begin. Having a website that is difficult to upgrade is just as bad as having a non-functioning one. With design templates that are easily scalable, content management systems (CMS) that can easily accommodate new features through adding plug-ins, and hosting solutions that can be easily upgraded with a few clicks of a mouse button, there is simply no excuse to have an archaic website that needs downtime when you’re trying to update new features.

5. Zero Marketing Efforts

A website is nothing if it isn’t able to reach clients and customers. A business should have someone on standby who knows about pushing the site into the limelight where it can be seen and discovered. SEO isn’t a one-time gimmick. It needs to be constantly monitored and improved. Marketing personnel should keep up with innovative ideas and continue to push the website to its limits.

6. It Looks Ugly

Website design technology is always changing. Not too long ago, the 3D look was all the rage. Now, thanks in part to Microsoft’s move to the flat and minimalist look, modern web design is simple, straightforward, and easy to take in. The most popular websites have very few bells and whistles, putting just essential content and calls-to-action at the forefront. They have a simple menu and few unnecessary pages. And it looks great. If a website is too cluttered and distracting, then a re-do is definitely in your future.

And so, if any of these 6 points ring true with your business’ website, then you probably need to go back to the drawing board with your design.