Is your website design causing you to lose business? According to a recent survey by Blue Fountain Media, 81% of internet users think less of a brand if their website is outdated. And 39% would think twice about using a product or service if the website isn’t current, user-friendly, and fresh.
Before we look at ten signs that it’s time to consider upgrading your website, let’s talk about what a website redesign is.
What is a website redesign?
Website redesign is often confused with a website refresh. With a website refresh, some features change, but the coding and functionality of the site remain the same. Updating the company logo and outdated content are examples of a website refresh.
A redesigned website bears little resemblance to the previous website once the process is complete. There are several reasons a business decides to overhaul its website and implement a redesign.
- Branding updates
- Adding new products or services
- Improving mobile responsiveness
- Adding SSL certification
- Integrating with the company’s social media platforms
- Improving UX (user experience) design
- Server updates
- Website template changes
- Technology upgrades
A website redesign varies among businesses, but the main reasons are typically to increase conversion rates and provide a better user experience.
10 Signs Your Business Needs a Website Redesign or a New Website
1. Your website isn’t delivering the traffic, leads, and conversions you expect.
This one is pretty obvious since the purpose of having a business website is to attract potential customers that follow through with a purchase. A consistent decline in leads and sales is a sign of larger issues. While you should take the time to determine the exact reasons for the decline (such as slow page loads or outdated content), the fact that traffic and conversions are going down is enough of a reason for a website redesign.
2. Your website doesn’t provide an exceptional user experience.
A successful website is all about engaging your users. If your site is difficult to navigate or doesn’t offer valuable content, visitors will leave. Minor tweaks may improve an existing site, but often a website redesigned with user experience at the forefront is the best solution.
3. Your website isn’t mobile-friendly or responsive.
Today, half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. And now, Google mainly uses the mobile version instead of the desktop version for ranking and indexing. So, it’s essential to provide customers with an excellent mobile experience on your website. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly or doesn’t utilize responsive design, you may need to redesign it or build a new one.
4. Your website’s pages load slowly.
When users are dissatisfied with a website, it often translates to lost business. A recent survey by Digital.com shows that one in two visitors abandon a website if it takes more than six seconds to load. And 45% of respondents say they get a negative impression of a business if its website takes too long to load.
Read More: 5 Effective Ways to Optimize Your Page Load Speed
5. Your website design is outdated.
While it’s crucial that your website function smoothly, it also needs to look current and modern – not outdated. Google’s John Mueller suggested that the design of a website could affect its search rankings if it’s not meeting users’ expectations. People judge the aesthetics of a website within seconds and probably won’t stick around.
6. Your branding is inconsistent.
Customers can become confused if your website logo and design are noticeably different from printed materials and displays. Your site must reflect your brand and its mission effectively to be successful. A website redesign gives you the chance to align brand images and messages.
7. Your SERP rankings are nonexistent.
Did you know that 93% of people begin their online experience using a search engine? And three-quarters of them don’t look past the first page of results. That’s why exceptional SEO is crucial for a successful business. Launching a new or redesigned website is the perfect opportunity to create new paid and organic SEO strategies that propel your website to a higher ranking on SERPs.
Read More: SEO and Web Design: How to Build a Website That Ranks at the Top
8. Your website has broken elements.
When navigating a website, it’s frustrating to find broken links, missing images, and buttons that don’t connect to anything. Besides harming your company’s reputation, broken site elements can also decrease SEO. Fixing broken website elements should be a priority, but some websites don’t have the infrastructure to support the upgrades. That’s a definite sign that it’s time for a website redesign!
9. It’s difficult or impossible to make small changes.
It should be easy for you to make small changes or updates to your site, like promoting a limited-time offer, adding a blog post, or changing a product description. If your website is built on a platform that is challenging to work with or that requires a third party to make a simple update, you may need a new website built in an easy-to-use content management system (CMS).
10. Your business is growing.
It’s a good problem when a business outgrows its website, but the problem still needs a resolution. Your website should provide an opportunity for online growth – so you need one that can work as hard as you do. And a website redesign will ensure the new website can keep pace with customer demands.
Think your business needs a website redesign?
Impact Group Marketing creates engaging, responsive, and affordable websites that convert – and that search engines can find! Contact us today for a free quote or to learn more about our services.
Read More: Top Reasons NOT to Build Your Own Website