Field Tips: How to Tell if Your Website is Due for an Overhaul

Field Tips is a biweekly email series bringing you the latest marketing trends and topics directly to your inbox. Covering everything from digital marketing and social media to content strategy and more, we curate the industry’s top stories and present them as easily digestible insights. The content contained within this post comes directly from our August 9, 2024 issue. If you’d like to receive Field Tips, subscribe here.

Earlier this year, I challenged my team to reimagine our website to better represent who we are and what we do. The result? A new and improved responsory.com, which we soft launched earlier this week.

See, your website shouldn’t be static; it should grow alongside your business. Sometimes that means shaking the proverbial Etch A Sketch and starting over when:

• Your website looks dated, isn’t mobile-friendly or uses outdated technology that hampers compatibility and security.
• Users struggle with navigation, experience slow load times or encounter broken links.
• You notice high bounce rates, ineffective calls to action or declining traffic and engagement metrics.
• Your content is outdated and your SEO performance is poor, resulting in lower search engine rankings.
• Your website no longer reflects your current brand identity, new services/products or can’t support business growth.
• You just feel like a change.

I’m immensely proud of my team and their accomplishments, and I’m incredibly excited about what the future holds. As always, if you’re looking for a website (or a web partner) that will grow with you, we’re here to help.

WHAT’S HAPPENING. A U.S. court has ruled that Google has been unfairly monopolizing the search market by paying to be the default search engine on devices and browsers. This historic decision could force Google to change its business practices, potentially opening the door for other search engines to gain traction. The ruling comes after it was found that Google’s agreements with companies like Apple and Mozilla stifled competition, blocking rivals like Bing from getting a fair chance. Google is planning to appeal the decision.

WHY IT MATTERS. This ruling could present new opportunities for competitors and diversify traffic sources for marketers. If Google can no longer pay to be the default, users might start exploring alternative search engines, leading to a more varied digital landscape and fresh avenues for digital marketing. Should this shift occur, marketers will want to broaden their SEO and advertising strategies to include emerging platforms.

WHAT’S HAPPENING. Reddit had a fantastic Q2 thanks to better ad options, a focus on small and medium-sized businesses and acquiring Memorable AI to improve ad performance with AI tools. Compared to last year, the platform added 8.5 million new daily active users (now totaling 91.2 million), increased revenue by 54% (now $281.2 million) and grew non-ad revenue (like data licensing) by 690%.

WHY IT MATTERS. For marketers, Reddit’s growth is like striking gold. More users mean more people to see your ads. With their improved ad tech and AI enhancements, your ads can hit the right targets more effectively. Reddit’s data licensing also opens new doors for using insights to craft better campaigns. And since their growth spans both developed and developing regions, you can reach a wider variety of audiences.

How To Turn Old Content Into a New Work of Art With an AI Assist

Generative AI can help you remix your old content into new, engaging pieces with minimal effort, making it an invaluable tool for content marketers. Learn more about leveraging AI for content remixing on Content Marketing Institute.

Threads Gains Momentum as Users Reach 200M

Meta’s Threads has hit 200 million active users just over a year since its launch, showcasing rapid growth driven by its integration with Instagram and appeal as a text-focused social platform​. Read more about it on Social Media Today.

X Takes Legal Action Against Advertisers to Challenge Media Status Quo

Elon Musk and X (formerly Twitter) are suing the Global Alliance for Responsible Media and major advertisers, accusing them of colluding against the platform, which many see as a desperate move likely to backfire. Learn more about this high-stakes legal drama on Digiday.