Have you noticed that your website pages are not appearing as high up in Google search results as you would like? Maybe your website used to be featured more prominently in search, but lately, you have noticed that you’ve dropped? If this is the case, you’re likely trying to figure out why and what can be done to help your company’s website get back to where it once was. There could be some quick fixes, but did you know that often the main culprit is the website itself? Continue reading this blog post from the experts at Consumer Focus Marketing to learn more about how your website, and its age, can affect your search engine optimization.
How Your Website Affects Your SEO
First of all, your website is a major part of your search engine optimization (SEO). This includes what the website is built on, how it is programmed, the content on the website, and much more. SEO starts with how your website is structured and designed. The programming languages that are used on websites, much like other technologies, evolve rapidly. What was once the best programming code for a website may not be the best practice a couple of years later. So, after a few years, the programming of your website can start to get outdated. This all affects the way that search engines see your website.
How Old Is Too Old for a Website Age?
A website is considered “old” when it was produced 5 years ago or longer. An old website can start to have both technical issues and SEO problems once it hits that 5-year mark. This includes issues with content and WordPress/plugin updates, browser compatibility, and security. While a website can certainly still function at that age, it is far from its optimal performance level and companies should begin to budget for the inevitability of a new website redesign.
Top 6 Concerns with an Older Website:
So, what can happen to your website as it ages beyond 5 years? Here are a few things you will want to keep an eye on. If you start to notice these problems, it might be time for a new website.
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Slower Page Speeds
One of the biggest problems with an older website is its page speed. They are often much slower than newer websites. We have talked before about how outdated websites have outdated programming code. Well, one of the big issues with old programming code is that it is slower. This isn’t good for the SEO of your website because search engines don’t like slow sites. One of Google’s big ranking factors now is user experience. The platform rewards websites with better experiences for their users, and what worse experience can you imagine than a slow website? Upgrade to a new website and you will have the fastest speeds available with today’s programming code.
Related Post: How Does Page Experience Affect Your Website’s SEO?
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Problems with Updating Content and Plugins
As your website gets up there in age, if it is left unaddressed, there can be problems with updating the content on the website. This includes both the web pages and any updates required by the website. For example, if you have a WordPress website, there are regular updates for WordPress that need to be done, as well as updates to common plugins. If the site gets too old, these updates can become problematic. There are cases where a website can become so fragile that any updates will crash the website. Upgrading to a new website will remove this concern.
Related Post: 5 Reasons Fuel & HVAC Marketers Need Functional, Updated Websites
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Programming Code Is Out of Date
As we mentioned earlier, programming codes are changing and evolving on a regular basis. The code used on your website when it was built in 2017 or earlier, is no longer the best way to program a website. At the time it was programmed, it was the best practice, but not anymore. For even older sites, there are programming codes which are no longer being supported by the software companies who created them. Obviously, if you move forward with a website redesign, you will upgrade to the latest and greatest programming code available right now.
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Browser Compatibility Becomes a Concern
As a website ages, browser compatibility becomes an issue that you need to consider. Just like programming codes evolve over time, so do the browsers available to find your website on. This includes Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and many others. If you let your website age well past 5 years, you could run into a disastrous issue where your website may not work correctly (or at all) on one of these popular browsers. New websites, on the other hand, will work seamlessly with all browsers across the Internet.
Related Post: 5 Ways to Update Your Website before Fall
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Security Issues Start to Happen More
As a website owner, you may eventually experience cybersecurity issues as your site ages. This includes hacks and spam attacks, such as form fills from bots and things like that. You will get more of these as the site gets older because it is easier for nefarious individuals to use technology against you. With a newer website, the security is better and can help prevent a lot of these security problems.
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How Is Your Website’s Mobile Responsiveness?
One of the most important things you need to make sure is optimized on your website is its mobile experience. Google and other search engines look at your mobile experience first and foremost when deciding how to rank your website. Your website needs to be mobile friendly. Some older websites are not as mobile friendly, so it is crucial that you determine if your mobile web version has a good user experience. If not, you should solve that problem with a newer website from an expert website development company such as Consumer Focus Marketing.
Related Post: How Long Does It Take for SEO to Work?
All of This Adds Up to Negatively Affect Your SEO
If your website starts to get older than 5 years and you start running into any of these issues that we have talked about, it will all add up to negatively impact your website’s SEO and how you appear in search results. But what can you do about it? After 5 years of a website’s existence, you should start planning for a new website. At the very least, you should start planning to invest in updated programming code. However, it can often be a great time to consider doing a complete redesign of your website. There are probably updates you can make to the look of the website, and to the content, that are much needed.
Contact Consumer Focus Marketing for Website Design & SEO Services
If your website is more than 5 years old and you would like to learn more about how Consumer Focus Marketing can help you, get in touch with us! We perform website design and development, complete SEO support, and many other marketing services. Our websites are proven to show year-over-year increases in traffic. If you want the same, please contact us today for a consultation.