When is it time for a website redesign?
Website Redesign – is it time for a new one as yet? Businesses nowadays must build in change as an inherent part of their operations and structure. If you are an entrepreneur, then you know the rapid pace of commerce and exchange in the modern economic environment. You must keep every part of your company taut, streamlined, and fit for the times. This includes the design of your website.
Search engines are constantly updating their algorithms in a way that prioritizes the websites that are most usable and well-designed. In the days of the brick-and-mortar store, the appearance of a shop’s front end would determine whether it attracted a large clientele. In the Internet Age, the website is the store front; and you must make the necessary investment in making it engaging, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to navigate.
Below is a list of indications that it is time to redesign your website:
- Your site has an aged and outdated appearance
Have you ever visited a website that looks dull and thoroughly boring? The content is basic, the spacing awkward and clumsy, and the visual images faded and mostly non-existent. If you have had such an experience, then you were probably not motivated to spend much time at the site. Don’t let the same thing happen to you. An outdated website turns potential customers off. It will also make your brand less trustworthy. An outdated website suggests a company that is behind the times and therefore incapable of delivering good products and services.
In creating a new design, you want to deploy images that convey directed energy and action. You should make a survey of other websites that sell goods and services similar to yours. Gather your team together and figure out the website design that will intrigue and engage potential and returning customers.
- It is hard to update your content
You must be able to manage and update your content as needed. If this process is slow and difficult, then it is time to change the design of your website. You should not be in a position that requires you to contact your web designer or developer to change website content. If you are still operating under such a system, then you are well out of date. Continuing with your current design will cause you to waste money and man-hours in the long-term.
When you change your website design, ensure that the new one enables content to be updated by anyone in your company. This will allow your team more flexibility in keeping the information and visuals on the website in line with current business goals and practices.
- Your bounce rate is high
The bounce rate tells you the rate at which users leave your website. A high bounce rate is a sign that most people don’t stick around very long. To return to the analogy of the brick-and-mortar store, it would be as if most people visited your shop just for a quick browse and then left without buying anything.
Some of the things that lead to a high bounce rate include broken links, poor load speed, and a bad design. The second of these is especially annoying. Having to spend precious minutes waiting for a page to download all the content and images needed to read it properly is unacceptable. If this is happening on your site, it’s time for a change.
- Your website in not compatible with mobile phones
If your website is not accessible from mobile phones, you are well behind the time and definitely losing money. More and more people are using mobile phones as their primary means for conducting web searches. This quite large potential market is not one you can afford to ignore.
You must make the creation of a mobile-friendly website design your number one investment priority. The Google new testing tool is a great way of assessing how easy it is for users to access your website from their mobile phones.
Running a business in the twenty-first century is filled with challenges. One of the most pressing is operating a website that can attract new customers and keep previous ones interested enough to return. It is therefore essential to update your website to reflect new designs, new consumer needs, and new web technologies.
