Inbound Marketing & Technology Blog

Why Brochure Websites Are Outdated Now

Written by Thirumalesh Prasad C G | August 22, 2017

Long before various forms of online marketing started ordering online spaces by relevance, businesses and professionals looked to every advantage to get people to remember them. One of the more popular options was to create online spaces that were sleek, colorful, intricate and focused on aesthetic design. They were referred to as brochures websites because they were aimed at selling the business using flash and imagery, and because they were static. For photographers, designers, painters, and other creative professionals, it was a popular choice to show off their works.

Nevertheless, their static nature, incompatibility with modern data reporting, and poor search engine rankings now makes them more of a liability than an asset. This is particularly true for businesses that must track their online performance and plan to use their online platform for attracting sales. In other words, almost all companies these days would better serve in other ways. These are just a few of the issues associated with a brochure website.

Here are some reasons why brochure sites are not relevant in today's cutting-edge technological advancement.

Click here to know the Web design trends for 2018.

1. They are challenging to track

Businesses must be able to review how their online platform is performing, offering data such as sales captures and site penetration. These tools not designed for a brochure site, which means that their owners have no idea how strong their online presence is. Operating blind is not a good idea online.

2. They are also tough to scale

These sites built with aesthetic as their priority, not modularity. If the owner wants to add additional pages or even just extra images, parts of it will have to be reworked to accommodate the new content. Modern platform options provide for additions in the future, making for easier content additions and lower operating costs.

3. Brochure websites don't impress Google

Can a brochure site rank for a keyword in Google? Sure. Will it significantly limit its opportunities? Absolutely. Google makes it very clear that creating valuable content regularly is critical to their algorithm. Websites that commit themselves to new or “fresh” content gain favor to the search engine.

Brochure websites have no plan for adding content regularly, and consequently put a ceiling on keyword rankings, organic traffic, and ability to generate links naturally (which is also critical to Google’s algorithm).

4. Brochure websites are more about the company than helping its audience

Most sites understand they should provide services/products information, company information, and contact details. However, brochure or “informational” websites will come to a screeching halt after they cover those basics. A brochure site’s content fails to:

  • Engage, Educate, be Effective, Entertain & Encourage action (Five E's of Content Marketing)
  • Follow the 80/20 content rule (80% helpful to audience, 20% promotional)

5. Brochure websites don't scale well

Since brochures sites have a myopic “here and now” perspective, they don't see into the future and plan for how the site will grow over time. Because of this, they typically face structural issues early and often.

6. High performing websites grow over time

They add new functionality and content. Ideas are tested and measured. They expand and contract. Without fluid architecture, that is not true for brochure websites.