5 Reasons Your Website Needs an Upgrade

4. You're noticing a decrease in traffic

"If you're noticing a decrease in traffic and search engine rankings it could mean that you are not creating enough 'buzz' online," says Eric Covino, CEO of Creative Signals, an SEO and Web design company.

"It may be time to re-examine not just the site's content, but its usability as well, to make sure both are compelling enough for other sites to talk about and link to," he explains.

Companies that are seeing a decrease in pages viewed per visit may need to think about how easy their site is to move through. Users may have a hard time navigating it or they may not find the content relevant.

"With so many tools readily available, all businesses should be using analytics software to track their website's metrics," Sullivan says. "Whether it's where traffic is coming from, what pages users click on most or how much time a visitor spends on each page of the site, all of this data is meaningful and can yield valuable insights about your company's offerings."

5. You have out-of-date photos or graphics

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but classics are easily identifiable. If your site looks like it was built in 1999, then your users will use it the same way and they'll question themselves with every step," says Mike Haley, VP of strategy for AmericanEagle.com, a Web design and development firm.

"Your site needs to look current, but it doesn't have to look like a Monet or Van Gogh. As long as you manage your brand identity and display it in a clean, friendly format, users will enjoy using your site."

Even if you think your photos are fine, keep in mind that they don't have to be blurry to be outdated. Ask yourself if your site looks older than those of your competitors.

Even if your images are "new," it's never good to use stock photos if you can avoid it.

"A company must be objective in realizing its website isn't up to par with today's standards -- warning signs can include generic Web content, including text, images or photos," Sullivan says.

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