There’s a lot of websites out there, around 80 million of them, and that number is twice what existed three years ago.  That means that about 50% of the sites on the Internet were created since 2003.  At this rate, websites become quickly dated, as new sites continue to bring new knowledge and new technologies to bear in their design and capabilities, and ultimately the experience they provide to their visitors.

In reality, if your site is two years old or more, you should be analyzing your site’s current competitive standing. 

• Examine your competitors’ web sites and web site design. 
• Honestly appraise if their web site design is aesthetically “better” than yours. 
• Do your competitors offer significant features that you don’t, such as live chat, a customer forum, or “tell a friend”?
• Do they provide a better presentation of product or services?  Are “specials” highlighted?
• Go through their checkout process.  Is it faster and easier than yours?

If your answer to any of the above is “yes”, you should probably consider having your site redesigned.  There are many reasons for why your site no longer stacks up, including:

• Your website was built on a small budget.  Many web sites are launched with a budget inadequate for creating a professional Internet presence.
• Your web site looks “dated”.  Technology keeps moving forward, and what looked great a few years ago is now out of step with today’s design standards and shopper expectations.
• Your business has changed.  Your business has grown, and your web site is no longer a clear reflection of your business proposition.
• Your competitors are ahead of you.  Lead the pack rather than following it.  Offer features that represent clear competitive superiority.
• You now better understand your customers.  You’ve developed a deeper understanding of what your customers are looking for and some of the problems that they might have encountered on your site.  You need to factor those elements into a redesign that more effectively caters to your market’s expectations.
• Content is difficult or costly to keep fresh.  More current web tools allow the site owner to easily update all the content on their website, keeping it fresh and relevant.
• You need to increase your site’s visibility.  If your original site was developed with little consideration to what search engines use for ranking your site, a redesign with new content will raise your site’s search engine rankings. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) -- also known as natural or organic search engine optimization is really the only way for a website to be found in the top results of the search engines. If done correctly, it is a complex process involving visible content, website code, architecture, design, links, keywords and competitive analysis.

85 to 90 percent of all website traffic comes from the major search engines according to Jupiter Research. Search Engine Optimization is the single most important element in getting visitors to your website.