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4 Reasons You Need to Update Your Old Website
The Sprocket Report
This is an update to "Got an Eight-Track-Equivalent Website?” dated 6/10/2013.
When you plunked down hard-earned money to build a new website you figured you were making an investment in your business’s marketing. Now you hear that your site is no longer being “supported” and you can’t help but wonder if someone is trying to pull a fast one on you.
Unfortunately, today’s technology is moving faster than ever. It is entirely possible – and more than probable – that if you have a website just a few years old, it is obsolete already – regardless of how reputable your web designer was or how much money you spent.
Think about how much has changed in the way we listen to music in our cars. Eight track tapes were designed for automobiles, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a car that plays them now. In fact, cars that have cassette or even CD players seem ancient in today’s digital world.
So what does it mean if your website is no longer being supported? And what should you do about it?
What It Means to Your Website:
- Hackers have a field day
Better security is one of the big reasons for improving web platforms. The newer versions try to stay ahead of the hackers, which means your older version only gets more and more vulnerable.
- Stuff stops working
Some features of your website may stop functioning entirely, orphaned because there’s no longer communication between the appropriate bits of code.
- No more fixes
The technical folks will no longer fix bugs so don’t even bother asking. They’re busy coding the next version now.
- Help is hard to get
Finding someone who knows how to use an older platform gets trickier as time goes on and what used to be a five minute text change becomes a lengthy research project for a webmaster who is unfamiliar with your version.
What You Can Do:
- Nothing is an option
Your website won’t implode overnight. There are even coding enthusiast clubs that keep older versions of certain platforms alive. Just realize that it’s a risk with the odds growing steadily against you.
- Upgrade your current site
Depending on how radical the change is between versions, you may pay very little or quite a lot to upgrade your old site to the most current version. Start the discussion with the original builder of your site or find someone else who has expertise with your site’s platform. Many web developers will automatically upgrade your site to the latest version if the change is within a certain range. Keep in mind that the greater the gap between versions, the more likely something will break internally.
- Build something new
Some platforms are just totally abandoned. No one will host it. No one will work on it. It’s just dead. If that happens, you have no choice but to build a new site on a new platform. There are some really good ones out there and you will be pleasantly surprised at how much better your new site can be.
If you’ve been told your website is no longer being supported, or suspect that’s what’s happened, give us a call and we’ll help you figure out your next step. As always, we’re happy to help!
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Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
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