A website doesn’t have to look old to be outdated.
The design still works fine. The menu works. The pages open.
But maybe there’s an old phone number listed in the footer—one that belongs to an employee who no longer works there. Or a message saying something is “coming soon”—and has been for two years.
It’s often the little things that reveal that the website is no longer being kept up to date.
Here are seven places I’d start.
1. The Footer
The footer appears at the bottom of almost every page.
And that’s exactly why it’s easy to overlook.
Here you’ll often find:
- phone number
- email address
- business address
- CVR number
- social media links
- legal aspects
- copyright information
When something changes at the company, the most important pages may be updated first.
The footer remains.
That’s why it’s a good place to start when you want to check whether the website still displays the correct information.
2. Contact Information
An outdated phone number or an incorrect email address is more than just a minor mistake.
This could mean that a potential customer simply can’t get in touch with you.
Be sure to check the information at:
- the contact page
- the footer
- employee pages
- CTA Sections
- forms and confirmations
- PDF Files and Downloads
And while you’re at it, please test the contact form as well.
It may appear to work, even though the message never gets through.
See also: Is your contact form working? Here’s how to tell if inquiries are getting lost
3. Employees and Team Pages
Team pages quickly become outdated.
An employee is leaving.
A new one is coming.
Titles, phone numbers, or areas of responsibility change.
If the website still lists people who no longer work for the company, it can quickly raise doubts in the visitor’s mind.
The same applies the other way around.
If new employees never visit the website, the site may no longer provide an accurate picture of the company.
4. Services and Products
Companies often grow faster than their websites.
Maybe you’re offering something new.
Perhaps an old benefit is no longer relevant.
Or your website still describes your work the same way it did three years ago, even though the company has evolved.
Therefore, review the most important service and product pages and ask:
Is this still what we offer—and what we want to be known for?
If the answer is no, the solution doesn’t necessarily have to be a redesign.
Maybe the content just needs to be updated.
5. Links
A link may work fine on the day it is posted.
A year later, the page it links to may have been moved or deleted.
The result is a dead end.
This applies to both internal links on your own website and links to external sites.
A broken link may seem like a minor detail, but it quickly becomes annoying if it leads to something important—such as a product brochure, contact information, or a key subpage.
That’s why it’s a good idea to test the most important links on a regular basis.
6. Old Messages and Temporary Content
“Coming soon.”
“New website coming soon.”
“We will be closed for vacation starting…”
“Come visit us at the trade show in May.”
Temporary messages tend to become surprisingly permanent.
They are posted on the website because they are important right now—and forgotten once the moment has passed.
So be sure to check out, among other things:
- campaign pages
- banners
- pop-ups
- news
- Hours of Operation
- Vacation Information
- Past Events
If the information is no longer relevant, it must be removed or updated.
7. The things you no longer notice yourself
When you look at your own website often, you eventually stop really seeing it.
You know where the menu is.
You know what the text means.
You might no longer notice the old phrasing, the outdated image, or the information that only makes sense because you’re familiar with the company yourself.
That’s why it can be helpful to visit the website as a new customer from time to time.
Start on the front page.
Click around.
Read the text.
Try it on your phone.
Find the contact information.
And ask:
If I didn’t already know the company, would this still make sense?
You don’t necessarily need a new website
When a website starts to feel outdated, the first thought is often:
“We need a new website.”
But that isn’t always necessary.
Sometimes, a thorough cleanup can make a surprisingly big difference.
Update the text.
Delete old pages.
Fix broken links.
Replace the images that are no longer appropriate.
Make sure your contact information is correct.
And make sure the most important features are still working.
If the foundation is still sound, the website might only need a little attention rather than a complete overhaul.
When was the last time you reviewed your own website?
Not to change the design.
Just to see if everything still fits.
Small, outdated details can be easy to overlook when you’re familiar with the website.
But for a first-time visitor, they are part of the overall impression.
