It is more common than you think for marine businesses to neglect their websites. It is easy to forget about something that you don’t see every day when dealing with the day-to-day activity of being on the dock, in the boat, and generating new customers. But in all reality, it is not enough to have outdated information and a contact phone number on a website in hopes that prospective customers might find you.
We all know that we live in a digital world. To stay ahead of your competition you need to pull your customers in with an interesting, engaging website design and fresh, relevant content. In short, this shows search engines and potential customers that you are a thriving business ready to take them on. If you are unsure if you should redesign your website or not, we have laid out 3 tell-tale signs your website is in need of an update:
- The internet changed before you did.
So you missed that responsive web design thing (HOW? We talked about it so very much!), thinking it was soon to fade away like most trends these days. Change happens, and most times, very quickly. We all make mistakes and a redesign is a great opportunity to improve much more than just the visual appeal of your site. The icing on the cake – Google’s search engine ranking algorithm rewards mobile-friendly websites. So take a look at your website on your phone: does it stack, font scale to the appropriate size, does the navigation menu condense, etc, etc? If not, it’s time to redesign. - You haven’t updated your content in, well, forever.
Hey. Life happens. You get busy being on the boat, engaging with people on the docks in the hopes of getting bookings, and the next thing you know a few years have passed. Suddenly your website is not a reflection of the business you have cultivated and doesn’t portray the on-the-water experience you are giving your customers. Even worse, it’s not mobile-friendly! Then you realize you haven’t been getting your fishing reports up, or having your customers leave reviews, or is missing a place where your clients can book with you. Now what?! It’s time to redesign. But let’s say you do all of these things, and you’re sure your website is mobile-friendly, but you are more impressed by the website the guy in the slip next to you just launched. Instead of feeling forced into a redesign to keep up with the Jones’, take a step back and a deeper look into what made him redesign to ensure you address your problem areas with a redesign (images, online booking calendar, customer reviews, social media integration). - You aren’t getting the results you want.
If the first two reasons didn’t pique your interest, but you are still sitting on the docks watching potential customers book with the other guy, then your website is not doing what it is supposed to do – getting you customers. Your website exists to build your customer base, and your analytics should show you’re moving toward that goal. If you aren’t happy with your bookings right now, it’s time to redesign. Do your landing pages inspire people to learn more about your on-the-water experience? Is your site too text-heavy or littered with typos, old clipart images, or errors? Does your site’s look and feel match your charter’s voice and speak directly to your target audience? If not, it’s time to redesign.
If you answered YES to any of these reasons, contact us today! Our team will give you a free, no-obligation audit of your site, see where you need the most improvement, and build a strategy with you. Together we can transform your website and lure in those potential customers!
Charternet Web Solutions
Dedicated to Keeping You on the Water
www.charternetwebsolutions.com
844.866.9283
