A few months ago, my partner and I started looking into purchasing a new car. The car we had was about 8 years old, and we purchased it from a private seller around about 2 years ago. The car in its glory days would have been a bit of a luxury model, it had leather seats and wood-grain interior, extras usually not found in base model vehicles. Now, like most things, it doesn't take long for them to either start showing signs of wear or becoming "out dated", so as the car started showing signs of almost breaking down, we thought upgrading to a brand new car was the best option for us.

You're probably thinking, what is he rambling on about, what's this got to do with websites? Well, let's say my old car was a website. When I got it, it was everything I needed, it had some fancy extras that made it comfortable to drive and easy on the eye, was in A1 condition so it ran well, and it was what I could afford at the time. Now this is how some people may come to wanting their first website. They have a budget they need to stick too, they get a really nice design that's good to look at, it may have an extra feature like site search, and it has everything they need it to do. But as time goes by, their business or ideas change and evolve.

New web features become available, CMS (Content Management Systems) become more readily available and affordable which means they can make updates to the site themselves without spending more money. So, their website that was awesome to start with, but is now 2 or so years old, is starting to look a bit outdated, there are now updated web-browsers which means their site may not display as it should and it just won't handle anymore "little changes here, little changes there", so the best thing to keep moving forward and not lose out, is upgrading their old website to a brand new one.

Now, in buying a new car there are some steps involved. I needed to research what cars were available within my budget, what brand of car I may want and what dealership I may want to buy from. The same requirements for me buying a new car, are pretty much the same as when I bought my old second hand car. I need to take into account:

• Budget – What is the maximum amount of money I can spend/afford.
• Model/Type/Look of car – Do I want a Holden or a Ford? Do I want a sedan, hatchback or 4WD?
• Its intended use – Is it to drive to and from work? Do I need to take it Camping? Do I need to fit a family in it?
• Who is going to use it? – Is it just for me or my partner? A family? Is it going to be a business car that some of the staff can drive to meetings etc?
• Are any “extras” available? – Do I want leather seating? Cruise Control? Metallic Paint?
  

Now compare that with purchasing a new website and you pretty much have the same requirements:

• Budget - What is the maximum amount of money I can spend/afford.
• Type and look of Website – Is it an E-commerce site? Do I need A CMS? Does it need to look professional, maybe a Grunge look?
• Its intended use – It is just to display the services I offer? Do I need to sell products online?
• Who is going to use it? -  Who am a targeting? Over 50's, seniors, teenagers, girls, boys, tradesman etc. etc.? These are important factors to consider for how your site needs to be built and function.
• Are any "extras" available? -  Do I want a site search? Do I want a feedback form? There are many possibilities, depending on my budget and what my site needs to do.
  

So with that in mind, upgrading your website is a lot like buying a new car. There are a few requirements that need to be taken into consideration and also who you would want to go to for a new website. If you are thinking you may need to upgrade your existing website or are looking at getting your first website, we are here to help so don't hesitate in contacting us for some helpful advice.