Website upgrades: When, how and why you should invest

From working in a website agency for almost 15 years, I’ve talked about ‘upgrades’ a lot.

And it can mean lots of different things. It could be a brand-new website, an addition or improvement to an existing website, a new version of a CMS that the software developer has released, or an upgrade to a third-party integration.

In recent years, conversations about upgrades have become more and more frequent. Technology is moving fast, and security is a priority. Keeping up with both requires upgrades from all sides.

Coupled with this, business and staffing costs are rising, so upgrading something you already have isn’t always an easy sell.

Business owners quite rightly question the need:

‘But I only upgraded last year – how is there another version already?’

‘What will a new website actually give me?’

‘Are those updates going to increase my enquiries?’

And they’re absolutely right to ask.

You should always question an agency selling you an upgrade of any kind. You need to understand what you’re getting, why it’s needed and, most importantly, how it will benefit your business.

Think about your mobile phone

I often try to relate website and software upgrades to something most of us are familiar with: our mobile phones.

The majority of people are on a rolling contract and upgrade their phone every couple of years to stay up to date with the latest model they’re willing to pay for.

If you choose not to upgrade, you accept that your phone isn’t going to perform like the newer models. The camera may not have the same clarity, AI capabilities will fall behind, and certain features may stop working as well. Over time, it can simply start to feel old.

There’s also the risk that something fails unexpectedly, leaving you having to fork out for a replacement when you weren’t expecting it. And, of course, you need to think about backing up your data and keeping the device secure.

In recent years, our phones seem to feel out of date quicker than ever.

Websites are very similar.

If you continue to invest in your website’s upgrade and improvement path, you can benefit from newer, more secure technology and functionality. Planned investment can also help improve the effectiveness of your website, reduce the risk of security issues and avoid larger, unexpected costs caused by an ageing system.

If you choose to extend the lifecycle of your website without upgrades or improvements, that’s a perfectly valid business decision too – but you need to understand and accept the risks that come with it.

Questions to ask your agency

When you’re talking to your agency about software upgrades, ask:

• Is there a schedule of future upgrades provided by the software company? If not, based on your experience, how often are upgrades typically released?

• Do you recommend that we take each upgrade, or are some more important than others?

• What benefits will we get from upgrading, and what could happen if we don’t?

• Can you give us a ballpark cost for future upgrades, based on previous upgrades or similar projects?

When you’re talking about website improvements, ask:

• How often should we budget for a larger-scale refresh or rebuild?

• These are our current challenges and goals, and this is our budget - what smaller-scale improvements could we make within that?

• Can we phase the changes, or would it be more cost-effective and efficient to do them in one go?

• How can we measure the success of the changes?

• Can we create a longer-term roadmap that we can budget for?

These questions will help you understand what you’re getting, plan and budget for future work, and measure whether the investment is actually making a difference.

Make website investment part of the plan

For a website to work as hard as it should, it needs regular reviewing and investment.

That doesn’t necessarily mean rebuilding it every few years or saying yes to every upgrade that comes along. It means understanding what you have, what’s changing, what your business needs and where investment will have the greatest impact.

Ask the questions early and plan for website improvements and upgrades as part of your annual marketing strategy. That way, they become planned investment rather than unexpected costs.

If you’re not sure where to go next with your website, let me know.

We can start with a fixed-price 360 Website Review, and I can help you put a practical plan in place that’s aligned with your goals and your budget - keeping your website moving forward and helping you keep up with your competition.