Your website is the backbone of both your business and your brand. Every one of your marketing strategies eventually leads back to it. This means it’s critical that your website (and its content and features) never become dated or hampered by older technology. For busy trucking fleets in particular, a bright, up-to-date website is paramount to your success.
So how do you know if your website is overdue for an overhaul? After all, you spent weeks (or even months) creating your current one. There are a few key indicators, however, that your website is no longer performing as well as it could be.
- The big one: How to apply to your fleet! Truck drivers are pressed for time, and often looking at your website from remote truck stops. Make it clear how they can access your careers page.
- Your services, runs, and what you haul. Would-be drivers want to find out your locations, the types of trucks in your fleet, and your cargo. They’ll get an idea if they’re a good fit, and that benefits you both.
- Your FAQ page. Drivers also want to know about your perks, benefits, passenger programs, and other commonly asked questions before they apply.
- If your website isn’t easy to use, drivers are more likely to abandon their search (more on that in a moment).
Here are the four signs your website needs a renovation.
It isn’t properly optimized for mobile
Websites are usually well-designed for desktops and laptops, but often improperly optimized for mobile devices. If this is the case for your fleet, then your website is long overdue for a redo. Here’s why.
Websites which have been optimized for desktop alone will fail to load properly on handheld devices. This means things such as images, form fields, and submission buttons likely won’t render on smartphones or tablets. Considering two-thirds of all job applications are made on mobile, this is pretty detrimental to your fleet!
For truck drivers, who are often on the road, that number is likely higher. Any glitches on your mobile website will cause would-be drivers to simply give up. To ensure you never lose out on top driver talent, make sure your website is optimized for mobile.
It takes more than one click to find your careers page
Your careers page should be easily accessible from the home page of your website. The top navigation bar is ideal. A large JOIN OUR TEAM button in the top right? That’s even better.
Remember, drivers are busy people.If your careers page is buried even one layer down, would-be drivers are more likely to give up looking for it.
Not only should your careers page be easy to find, it should also be easy to fill out in ten minutes or less. Job applicants, and especially truck drivers, will abandon an application which takes too long to fill out. A “quick application”, with key questions about experience, location and contact info, makes the process easy.
It delivers a poor user experience
Even if your website is properly optimized for mobile, it can still be difficult to properly use. If your website is too difficult to use, drivers (and would-be clients) might simply decide it’s more trouble that it’s worth.
Here’s a few signs your website’s user experience needs improvement.
- It’s difficult to navigate, and takes too long for users to find what they need.
- Your material is disorganized or not laid out in a cohesive manner.
- It’s not optimized for mobile (we can’t repeat this enough!)
- It’s housed on an outdated platform. This means it’s using outdated technology, and more importantly, has outdated security features.
If any (or all!) of the above points sound familiar, it’s time to give your website an upgrade.
It’s been more than four years since your last website redesign
Yes, you likely spent weeks (or even months) on your last rebuild of your website. Web design is always improving, though, so if it’s been three years or more since your last rebuild, it’s time to give your site another look. Here’s why:
- Technology is constantly improving. Hosting platforms have likely implemented updates to help websites load faster and function better.
- Cybersecurity also constantly improving, and your current website may not be compatible with the latest and most advanced security measures.
- New content helps maintain your SEO ranking on Google. No matter how advanced technology becomes, your content is what helps create views.
- You can fix usability errors which were overlooked in the last update (it happens to the best of fleets!)
If four years or more have gone by since your last website rebuild, you’re due for another one.
Your website is the backbone of all your fleet marketing efforts. Make sure it’s working as hard as you are to bring in new clients AND recruit new drivers. If you think your website needs a rebuild, our team at KAT Media can bring that to life. Give us a call today and we’ll talk.