7 Signs Your Manufacturing Website Is Out of Date

Something not feel right with your site? Look for these symptoms to diagnose the problem.
Manufacturing_Website

Have you given your manufacturing website much thought lately? You should. Gone are the days when simply having a website was the goal for every business owner when it came to an online presence. These days, creating a website for your manufacturing company is only half the battle. Website visitors expect more than that.

In fact, 57% of consumers say that they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile. And 38% of internet users won’t engage with a website with unattractive content or layout. You see, an outdated website sends the signal that you are an out-of-date company.

The big question is: How do you know if your manufacturing website is outdated?

This article will help you answer this question and know when it’s time to modernize your manufacturing website. In it, you’re find seven signs your manufacturing website is out of date. And you’ll also get some general direction on what you need to do to bring your website “up to code” — i.e., making sure it is built in adherence to the latest web design best practices.

1.   Your Manufacturing Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly

Is your manufacturing website a responsive website — i.e., does it look great and is it user friendly on any device?

See, since 60% of Google searches are done via mobile devices, chances are that many users will stop engaging with a site that doesn’t display properly on their device.

What this means is that more and more people are using their mobile devices to research, shop, and pay for their products online more than ever before. To be precise, more than half of internet users are using their mobile phones to purchase products online

If your website isn’t mobile-responsive, then you’re losing out a lot when it comes to engagement and sales.

Besides, a website that’s not mobile-responsive can affect your search engine rankings because Google gives preferences to responsive websites in their search results.

As a rule, your manufacturing website should display content properly on any device without compromising its quality and performance.

Your website must check all the boxes below:

  • Adjusts properly to all screen sizes- mobile and desktop
  • Buttons, text, and other elements can be easily read and viewed on different devices
  • Loads quickly on mobile devices

2.   You Can’t Remember the Last Time You Added New Content

Perhaps you don’t need to be reminded that content is king. But that alone doesn’t help. Content freshness matters a lot because Google bots look for freshness when crawling a site. Google “smiles” when it sees a website growing with new content.

The good news is that you don’t need to update your manufacturing website with fresh content every day. You just need to establish a consistent content publishing plan that ensures that Google will discover something new every time its bots crawl your site.

Besides, you can keep your site updated with fresh content of different types — eBooks, product specs, blog posts, white papers, etc.

Irrespective of what Google thinks, it’s a good idea to update your website periodically to reflect the changing nature of your business. Now examine your website carefully and ask yourself:

  • Does it still display products or services you no longer offer?
  • Does it miss core products or services you provide currently?
  • Does it contain irrelevant or confusing content?

If you answered yes to all the questions above, it’s time to update the content on your manufacturing website.

3.   Your Homepage Hasn’t Been Touched in a Long Time

Can you remember the last time you updated your website’s homepage?

If not then it’s time to update it.

Chances are, most visitors hit your home page first, which is where they develop their first impression of your business. From there, they want to be able to navigate to other sections without a problem.

If your manufacturing website lacks a clear and organized structure accessible from the homepage, users won’t navigate to where you want them to go.

Take a look at the Glauber Equipment Corporation website. When you land on their homepage, you immediately know where to go right away. Their call-to-action buttons (Learn more; Request a Quote) are clearly visible. You can also navigate to other sections of their website without getting confused.

In a nutshell, your website should be able to allow users to get to the right place right from the time they land on it.

4.   Attributable Leads Are Few and Far Between

Lead generation is incredibly important for the growth and success of your manufacturing company. Increasing leads means increased brand awareness and interest in your products or services.

If your website isn’t generating any leads, this could be due to decreased website traffic or poor-quality visitors.

A good first step in diagnosing this problem would be to carve out some time to conduct an in-depth technical SEO audit of your site.

Maybe your website is taking forever to open pages. Or you could be uploading heavy images. Or be reliant on a low-quality hosting provider.

5.   Analytics Shows a High Bounce Rate

How long does the average visitor stay on your site when they land on it? Do they leave immediately after they land on it?

If your manufacturing website is experiencing a high bounce rate, chances are that visitors aren’t finding what they came for. Which means they aren’t converting or taking any action; instead, they leave as fast as they came.

What is a Good Bounce Rate?

The average bounce rate for most websites per Google Analytics is between 26% and 70%. You can also refer to the bounce rate bible to find more detailed information about the average bounce rates across industries, company sizes and countries.

As a rule of thumb, your manufacturing website should have a bounce rate of no more than 55% at most.

How is website bounce rate calculated?

Generally, a website’s rate is the percentage of visitors who land on a website and leave without visiting any of its other sections or page. This is one of the core metrics reported on by Google Analytics.

With Google Analytics, you can also know how many people visit your website, the average pages per visit, time on site, and many other things indicative of website performance.

6.   Outdated Design and Visuals

Your website’s design elements — fonts, shapes, colors, images, white spaces, etc. — can have a massive impact on its effectiveness.

As a rule, your website’s design elements should draw visitors in and not distract them. That means that your colors, fonts, and other elements should make your website visitors feel comfortable.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is my website design and layout fresh and modern?
  • Does the photography on my website a good visual representation of my brand?
  • Are visitors struggling to read my content?
  • Does my website use the required fonts?

If not then carve out some time to work on all these elements.

7.   Cumbersome Online Product Catalog

Whether you’re a manufacturer, distributor, or OEM, your website must include an updated, easy-to-use, and effective online product catalog.

If you’re doing things the old way and hosting your product catalog in the form of a PDF download with all the products your company offers, it’s time to change.

Your website should provide users with digital product catalogs so they can find out what you offer, learn about product specs, and purchase your products easily.

If users aren’t able to figure out how to submit an RFQ, they are likely going to navigate away from your website.

Ensure your online product catalog checks the following boxes. If not, then carve in some time to work on it appropriately.

  • It includes RFQ forms to capture visitors information
  • It allows buyers to make online purchases or sales inquiries easily
  • It has search and other tools that help users find what they are looking for

Is It Time to Modernize Your Manufacturing Website?

Does your manufacturing website exhibit all these seven signs — or any of them? If so, you might want to spend some time working on your site. Spending the time to create a high-quality and user-friendly website is essential for your company’s growth and success.

Your website should be up-to-date and modern. It should offer users the best possible user experience they aren’t getting from your competitors. Ask the questions noted above and follow the recommendations to create a manufacturing website that accurately represents your company and provides you with a competitive advantage.



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