Simply having a website online is not enough to win new customers and boost sales. It has to be kept technically up to date and checked regularly. Visually, too, an adjustment is sometimes necessary.
Web design is art and not only technology, so it is only logical that there are trends and hypes that arrive and at some point disappear again. The first thing you notice about an outdated site is the design, the way the site is presented.
This article will look at three aspects: the consequences of an outdated site, the dangers that come with it, and the solutions.
First, though, a short history of web design, so that you too can see how important it is to keep your own website up to date.
For nerds: a short history of web design
The development of website design can be divided into eras: the billboard era at the end of the 1990s, colourful, loud and over the top; the white era in the early 2000s and Web 2.0 up to 2010, calmer, with few distractions.
From 2010 onwards the minimalist phase began, and it continues to this day. First in the form of skeuomorphism between 2010 and 2012, in which objects imitate a material or the shape of a familiar item in their appearance (who does not remember the shelf-style library app, also called "Newsstand", from Apple®); then came infinite scrolling up to 2016, finally arriving at the true minimalism of today.
Every era seemed modern and appealing at the time; today we smile about it. Even people who know nothing about web design recognise the difference and notice when a site looks outdated. You may not be able to say exactly what looks out of date, but the overall impression is unmistakable.
The consequences of a visually outdated site
The consequences of a visually outdated site are varied. Consciously or unconsciously, questions arise in the mind of the interested visitor about the credibility of the provider, the quality of the product and the efficiency of the service.
Often it is not only the front end, meaning what users see, that is outdated, but also the technical side of the website, the back end.
In the long term that can be dangerous and even more expensive than regularly commissioning a company to take care of small, continuous modernisations.
The bottom line: a website that is not updated regularly is being neglected, and everyone can tell, professional or not.
The dangers of a technically outdated website
The technical dangers of an outdated website are many; here we will look at five of them: updates, security, the GDPR, bots and bugs.
Updates
Updates are regular technical improvements. Just as the manufacturers of phones and computers regularly make new versions, that is updates, available, the same is offered in the web world.
Depending on how many plug-ins (programs comparable to apps) you have installed, there can be a large number of updates waiting. Carrying them out is essential so that the website continues to run smoothly. It can even happen that plug-ins which are not updated stop working at some point.
Can you simply have all the updates installed at once? Yes, you can, but it is not advisable. Sometimes updates are not compatible with one another and have a negative effect on the appearance and operation of the website. It is better to check the back end regularly and always keep it up to date.
For larger sites and web shops it is also advisable to create an offline clone of the site and check the plug-ins there before putting them live.
If you do not want to carry out all the updates yourself every month, you are welcome to leave that to us.
We make sure your site stays fast, clean and efficient.
Bugs
Bugs are programming errors. They arise, for example, when updates have been put off for a long time or when plug-ins are no longer compatible with each other after updates.
Some are easy to fix; for others there is no other solution than restructuring the entire website.
That is easy to prevent by maintaining the site regularly.
Security
The security of a website depends on many parameters. For a website operator, the security of their own site should be a priority. That includes keeping access to the back end closed to unauthorised parties (including bots) and keeping customer data such as email addresses, personal information and bank details encrypted and out of reach.
Information of this kind is worth its weight in gold to dubious companies, and they invest the resources to match in stealing such data.
The website operator is legally responsible for customer information and can be held to account if third parties come into possession of it.
Bots
Bots are computer programs that work through repetitive tasks independently and automatically.
When people talk about bots in the context of website development, they generally mean malicious bots. They are used, among other things, to post unwanted advertising in the comment section beneath a post or article, to gain unauthorised access to the back end in order to steal email addresses or other customer data, and to load the website with masses of useless content in order to slow it down significantly.
Bots are very dangerous and quickly find their way into a website.
There are numerous mechanisms for making a website bot-proof, with the right solution for every situation. Two parameters are particularly important when choosing protection: GDPR compliance and how up to date the plug-in is.
Not all plug-ins are GDPR-compliant and usable without the user's consent.
Just as bots keep getting better, plug-ins have to be changed regularly in order to stay secure.
Our agency does not only design websites for clients; we also run our own websites and shops. That is why we know how dangerous and annoying bots are, and we keep learning so that we can use the best solutions and offer them to our clients.
GDPR
The GDPR (in Germany the DSGVO, Datenschutz-Grundverordnung), the European General Data Protection Regulation, is intended to make the internet a safer place and to protect users' privacy. A great deal has changed since 2016 when it comes to data collection and tracking. Most of the rules were implemented straight away; others are still being argued about today.
This has created a grey area in which you can collect data at your own discretion where there is a "legitimate interest" and hope that you will not run into difficulties. "Legitimate interest" is not defined and lies in the eye of the beholder.
That is why website operators are regularly sued by private individuals who claim that their data was not collected in accordance with the GDPR. Very often the courts decide in favour of the private individual. In this way precedents are established, which in the long run should wipe out the grey areas completely.
The most recent court decision was handed down in January 2022. It ruled that Google Fonts, that is typefaces made available by Google, may not be used without the user's consent either. When does the user give their consent? As soon as they consent to the corresponding cookies being set. The cookies should therefore hold back all tracking measures and third-party services until the user releases them.
If you do not follow developments in the GDPR and do not adapt your own cookies, the consequence can be moderate to very high fines.
At ELECOS we take the GDPR very seriously and want to protect our clients from warning letters. At the same time we keep in mind that tracking is necessary in order to analyse user behaviour. That is why we look for the right solution together with the website operator and implement it within a few hours.
The solution for an outdated website
Given the dangers described, it seems obvious that you want to keep your own website up to date. So it is not only about losing customers because the presentation is unappealing, but also about the damage that arises when the website is attacked by bots, is temporarily unreachable or is not GDPR-compliant.
To prevent all of that, it is enough either to stay up to date yourself and make the necessary changes or to commission an agency to take care of it.
When is the best time for a new website?
If you have now realised that your website could do with a makeover, you may be wondering when the best time for it is.
As a rule we recommend tackling website problems immediately. Better safe than sorry.
If you are aiming for a complete modernisation, a rebranding or an expansion, summer has established itself as a very good time. In summer many customers are on holiday, websites usually have fewer visitors and agencies can take particular time over your project.
ELECOS is available to you all year round.
Together with you we work out how to proceed, so that we can take your website to the next level efficiently and without any worries.
Elena Kroll
Writes at ELECOS about websites, data protection and productive working.