Are you throwing away money on your website? Measuring just how much value you are getting from your website is difficult for some businesses.

They may get plenty of traffic through their website, but cannot track how much is actually providing revenue to the business. It is important to track the ROI to make sure you are getting the most out of your website.

The equation for ROI (return on investment) is simple enough. 

1. Calculate Cost of Investment - When calculating before making a change, you first need to estimate how much revenue increase you will see by making the change and use it as the cost of investment. If you are calculating ROI after the change, you take the amount of revenue increase you know came from the change as the cost of investment.
   
   
2. Calculate Net Gain - Deduct the cost of investment from the potential revenue increase to find the net gain.
   
   
3. Calculate ROI - Then divide the net gain by the cost of the investment. That number is the return on ROI.

Return on investment is not all based on numbers. There are intangible benefits you need to keep in mind when thinking about your website. 

• What does a good website do for your business?

Think about what a first time visitor takes from your website. If you present a professional website with informative content, the visitor will have a positive impression. If you present an ill-designed website with very little content, the visitor will have a negative impression. A good website will give visitors that critical positive first impression. It makes them more likely to trust your brand. That is the first step towards becoming a lead or a paying customer.

• How does a bad website impact your business?

When someone visits your site, they come with certain expectations. They want to find the information they are looking for without hassle. They want to see a professional website with high quality content. If you are not meeting those expectations, you have a bad website. A bad website loses you money every day. Instead of visitors staying around and signing up to become a lead, they are leaving as soon as they see the first page of your website.

• Does your website do what you want it to do?

What is your website missing? Many first time websites are basic. They do not have a lot of functionality. Businesses learn to work around these deficiencies because they have no other immediate choice. With only a basic website, you are leaving plenty of revenue off the table. When doing a redesign, plan on adding the functionality you need. The extra investment will pay off in better leads and increased revenue.

• How many leads do you get from your current website?

When you pull up your website analytics, how many people have signed up to become leads? This is something you need to check at least a couple times a week. It is important to maximize your lead generation in order to increase your revenue opportunities. So, how many leads do you get every week? How many do you want to get? If those numbers are not the same, then you need a website redesign.

Once you look at the ROI numbers and the intangible benefits, you can make an informed decision on whether a website redesign or major update is in your website's near future. The reality is that you need a fresh and dynamic website to capture visitors' attention. Making the investment will payoff in many ways that you calculate and that you cannot. 

When was the last time you redesigned your website? You may make occasional updates on prices or posts to your company blog. But, when was the last time you did a major redesign or update?

You might be saying, "I don’t have time to update my website." The reality is that if you have not made a major redesign or update in the past couple of years, you are making a big mistake.

This mistake could be costing you in lost leads and revenue potential. With advancing technology and emerging marketing techniques, it is important to keep your website up to date and focused on leading visitors into your sales funnel.

Here are some questions you need to ask:

• Are you asking "Do I really need to?" The idea of undertaking a major revamp of a website can intimidate many people. But, today's market is passing you by if you do not. Consumers are becoming more sophisticated and expecting more out of the companies they do business with. If you think you can keep your old website for many more years, you are making a major mistake. So the answer is, "Yes, you really need to."
  
  
• One question you need to ask is "What’s new since I built the last one?" If your website is older than a couple of years, you are missing new things in terms of design and content requirements. Google's search engine algorithms have changed radically in the past couple of years. Content is becoming increasingly important for ranking high in search engine results. Your website needs to leverage these changes so you can increase your business.
  
  
• When you are ready to undergo the redesign or update, you need to answer the question"What can I do prepare?" A redesign offers you a chance to look at your entire business and make any changes you want. First, stand back and take a look at your marketing efforts. Do you need to update your marketing efforts? Do you want to add more functionality to your website and tie it into your business model? In order to prepare for the redesign, take time to look at what you have, what you want to add, and what you need to add. Also consider what you want to remove. If something is no longer working, get rid of it.
  
  
• Before the redesign starts, you need to start considering the question "How can I measure if the new site is on track?" When you are contemplating a website redesign, you need to take measurements of where your site is now. You can use an analytics program that will show you traffic numbers and other important information. Once your website redesign up and running, take a new set of numbers. Hopefully, you will start to see new traffic visiting. That will tell you if your new site is on track or not.

Answering these questions can take you on a journey to update your website and start to take advantage of the opportunities that are currently slipping you buy. Increase your business revenues by bringing more visitors to your site with a website redesign.

If you are asking the question "Do I really need to invest in a mobile ready site?" you already know the answer. In today's increasingly mobile world, more and more people are using mobile devices to view your website. You are losing web traffic and potential revenue if your website is not ready for those visitors and their devices. 

Remember your website is a tool that your business uses to attract people, turn them into leads, and entice them into becoming paying customers. If your website is not mobile friendly, it is actually costing you money instead of making you money. That is not what you need from such a critical marketing tool.

Why is your old website costing you money?

• You only have one shot at the First Impressions
  Your website is the first impression most people get of your business and it will last about 5 seconds. If you are not mobile friendly, you are not starting off right with those visitors using mobile devices. Your website is either hard to navigate or impossible to see with mobile devices. That is not the impression you want to make.
   
• Lost Opportunities
  A growing number of people are using mobile devices for browsing. According to the Pew Research Institute, 55% of adults surveyed indicated they use their cell phone or other mobile device to browse the Internet. An increasing number of people are using their mobile device as their main or exclusive browsing option. If your website is not mobile friendly, you are missing out on a ton of potential revenue.

Every couple of years most websites need a major update or redesign. If yours is due or overdue for an update, it is the perfect time to revamp your site and make it mobile friendly. You will make those critical first impressions and turn lost opportunities into increasing revenue streams.

Responsive Web Design
The best option for most websites is a technique known as responsive web design. In the past, web designers focused on how the website will look on a desktop or a laptop. With responsive web design, the designer focuses on making the web pages transform based on the size of the browser window. 

For a laptop or desktop, the website would look like most others. But, when you view it on the smaller screens of a smart phone or a tablet, the website will change formats. Graphics will shrink, in some cases. Buttons may actually grow to accommodate touch screen use. The designer selects which elements are most important and makes those most prominent on smaller screens. Other elements go further down the page. The best thing about this website design option is that the same graphics and theme show up on all screen sizes. 

Give your website the redesign it needs. With a mobile friendly design, you can catch people where they are looking. That will increase website traffic, lead generation, and revenue streams. Your website needs to generate revenue, not cost you money. Make the investment and make it mobile friendly.

A decade ago, a blog was somewhere people put down their thoughts and opinions about every subject under the sun. It was basically an online diary. Most did not realize how important blogging would become in the modern marketplace. 

Today, it is almost impossible for a company to succeed online without a blog. Yet, some companies have avoided creating one. Some only update their blogs once a month or so. The reality is they are missing out on a great marketing opportunity. 

Here are six blog myths uncovered:

Myth #1- Blogging takes too much time, without any return for the effort. 
If you are not an experienced writer and try to write your own blog posts, it can take a long time. But, no one says you have to write your own posts . You can outsource your blog to a ghost writer or an employee. You can ask other bloggers to do guest blogs occasionally. When you plan your blog content and execute that plan, the efforts are worth it. 

Myth #2 - Posting a couple of times a month should do the trick.
A few years ago, posting to your company blog a couple of times a month might work. That is not so these days. Your competition is making posts at least once or twice a week. Their content is fresher. The search engines prefer fresh content. It brings the rank of the entire site upsignificantly.

Myth #3 - Getting someone to blog for you is expensive.
When it comes to your company's website, content rules. If you do not have the skills or time to update your blog, you need to pay someone else to do it. You may think it costs too much. However, you can find freelance writers willing to create a blog entry at an affordable price. You can invite other bloggers to guest blog for you on occasion and that content is usually free. You can get the blog done and not pay too much in the process.

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Myth #4 - Blogging is a fad.
A fad is an extensively shared enthusiasm for something that lasts for a short period. The first burst of enthusiasm may have waned on blogging, but this "fad" has lasted well over a decade.  Blogs are here to stay. Your company needs to come into the 21st century and create a blog that represents your company.

Myth #5 - My customers don't read blogs anyway.
How do you know? Unless you ask every one of your customers point-blank about their browsing activities, you do not know. If you browse around, you will find blogs on just about any subject out there somewhere. Unless all your customers hate computers and prefer a landline to a mobile phone, at least some of them are reading blogs. You are missing out on becoming one of your customers' stops on their blog browsing list. 

Myth #6 - People will leave negative comments.
People will be people. Some will make negative comments. But, there are blog management tools that will help you eliminate or manage that problem. You can approve any comments that appear on your blog. You can turn off commenting. You can delete comments. You can filter comments that have certain words and put them in a queue for future review. There is no need to fear negative comments since you have the ultimate control.

As you can see,  the reality and facts about blogs shows the power of blogging for your company. Invest the time and effort to use this powerful tool to your company's advantage. The investment will bring your traffic, leads, and sales numbers up considerably if you do it right. 

Building a website is not a one time thing. Many companies make the mistake of thinking of their website is something they create and forget about. Even if you make periodic updates to the content, the design remains the same. But, you may not realize it, but, if you have not done a redesign to your company's website in the last couple of years, you are losing money. 

The ultimate goal of any business website is to generate sales. If your website is out of date, non-functional, or just lost, you will not get the sales you expect. In fact, you may find your traffic, lead, and sales numbers decreasing over time.

Here are five reasons why you need to make a website redesign your top priority:

1. Web Credibility - An increasing number of people use the Internet to check out any company they are thinking of buying from or using services from. This includes local stores and companies they will visit in person. Your website helps to show your credibility with potential customers. If your website is out-of-date, unprofessional, or disorganized, it leaves a bad first impression. And that impression will stay with visitors. 
    
2. Mobile Friendly - If you hadn't noticed, more and more people browse the web using a mobile device. But, not all websites are mobile friendly. If your company's website is not optimized for mobile devices, you are likely turning away potential customers. Visitors using mobile devices expect to have no issues viewing your site on a smaller screen. A non-mobile friendly website will need tons of scrolling, out of size fonts, and huge graphics. If mobile device users have such a problem, they are likely to go elsewhere.
   
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3. Google Friendly - If Google can't find you, no one else can (unless they have your URL). You need to make your website easy for Google and other search engines to find and love. Your website needs to contain content rich with keywords and high in quality. The search engines will begin to visit the site multiple times. Adding links inside and out will also lend credibility with the search engines. Make it easy for Google to love your site by providing rich page titles and meta descriptions.
     
4. Streamlined and Concise - Stuffing all your information on a single page will turn people away quickly. No one wants to scan 20 long paragraphs on a single page. Break large chunks of information into smaller ones and put them on a series of pages. Make sure your landing pages and your home page offer a summary of critical content, not an encyclopedia's worth.
     
5. Color and Layout - Selecting the right colors and layout can make a difference in how people judge your website. Many studies conducted for the past few decades show that some colors draw people while others repel. It is important to select a color theme that supports your business goals. Layout is also important. Most visitors like a clean layout with easy navigation. Making the wrong choices on color or layout can cost you business.

Investing in a website redesign will pay off. A good way to track this is to take metrics before you launch the redesign and then take several sets afterwards. You will start to see traffic numbers increasing. Your lead count and sales conversions will also improve. That is why prioritizing your redesign should be in this year's business activities.