Yes the above is a real-life example of my parent’s fishing charter business website circa 2009.
And don’t you think that it looks older than even that still?! I’m pretty sure that is exactly what I said to them myself, way back then.
Looking relevant
In the ’10 quick steps to improve your fishing website ranking’ (phew, what a mouthful!) checklist we talked about the importance of taking a step back and giving your site a good once over. And part of that was to gauge the first impression that it creates for a visitor.
The internet / world wide web is in fast forward and things are changing quite rapidly. And if your site is more than say.. five years old, it probably looks exactly like it. Which means that unless you are adding regular content in the form of news (fishing reports) or photographs, up-to-date copyright statement etc, there’s a strong chance that just the look of your website alone could be enough to send a message to your visitors that you are:
- Out of date
- Out of business
- Out of money
- Out of touch
- All of the above
So it’s with great pleasure, and a fair bit of amusement I present the evidence.
If you’re site looks like any of these, lets just say, it’s time for a refresh!
The Ecommerce Graveyard: How 37 Popular Sites Used to Look