Is it the right time to redesign your website? Is a website redesign worth the money?
People (your customers) are picky, especially when it comes to websites. According to Stanford University, 75% of people judge the credibility of a company based on the design of its website. That number is staggering by itself. But with web technologies evolving at breakneck speed, it’s easy to fall behind the times and leave customers searching for someone else.
Here are 9 reasons it may be time to update your company’s website.
1) Your Website Doesn’t Work Well on Mobile
According to Smart Insights, over 20% of Google searches are performed on a mobile device. Plus, when it comes to local searches, more than half are performed on mobile devices!
In the United States, a whopping 25% of internet users only access the internet on a mobile device (my wife is proof of this). If these stats tell you anything, it’s that the world has gone mobile. If your website isn’t optimized, it’s officially time to redesign your website.
25% of internet users only access the internet on a mobile device
User experience on your site can make or break your business, and you don’t want to lose market share to the competition simply because you were slow to adapt to mobile browsing trends. If you want to appeal to anyone under the age of 40, design is non-negotiable.
On the plus side, according to Econsultancy, 62% of companies that designed a website with mobile in mind saw increased sales. So going responsive is a win-win!
2) You aren’t getting the results you want.
Is your website gorgeous, functional, and pixel-perfect? Awesome! But if you still aren’t getting the results you want, it’s just useless web real estate. Your website exists to build your customer base, and your data should show you’re trending toward that goal.
If you aren’t happy with your results, it’s time to redesign your website. Examining your site’s conversion rates can provide you with a clear idea of what needs to be adjusted on it. The most important factors to look at are:
- Visitor-to-lead
- Lead-to-customer
Here are a few questions you should ask yourself to guide your redesign process:
- Does your call-to-action convert visitors into leads and customers?
- Do you even have a clear call-to-action(s)?
- Do your landing pages inspire people to learn more by digging deeper, or are they simply aesthetically pleasing pages that convey little value?
- Does your site’s look and feel match your company’s voice and speak directly to your target audience?
- Designers call this “brand equity”
3) Your Search Engine Rankings Are Low
Google is smart. At one time, the key to SEO was to plug your content with as many keywords as possible. Thanks to Google’s Hummingbird update, it’s all about having original, high-quality content on your site, which is why sites with blogs perform so well.
Google will only list your page if they can trust what you have to offer will answer the user’s questions. Redesigning your website could make it much easier for Google to find and understand what your website is about, and therefore rank it higher.
There are a ton of ranking factors to consider when redesigning your website. If the content on your site wasn’t written with current SEO trends in mind, or it’s buried within Flash elements or images, it may be time to update your website.
According to Search Engine Journal, 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine. Creating your site with SEO in mind will ensure that potential customers can find you online.
4) Your Visitors Aren’t Sticking Around and/or Aren’t Converting
If your web analytics show a high bounce rate, low time on site and low average pages per visit, that’s a pretty strong indicator that your visitors don’t find your current site useful for one reason or another.
A content audit could be beneficial in this case. If you don’t have analytics on your website, that is a huge red flag. This data lets you know what’s working and what’s not.
Likewise, if you’re trying to see ROI from your site, and you’re not seeing conversions – either because conversion opportunities aren’t set up to begin with or your visitors just simply aren’t converting – it’s likely time to re-evaluate your approach to web and re-design your website with both your target audience and your goals in mind.
By having both your audience personas and your goals in mind before your re-design and working with your design and development team to map your site design to those, you’ll see an increase in qualified traffic and leads!
5) It Looks Outdated
According to a study by ResearchGate, 94% of people say that websites with good designs are more trustworthy. Safe to say that’s everyone.
It’s important that your customers and potential customers trust you, and a strong re-design can help make that happen. Websites have evolved quite a bit over the years.
94% of people say that websites with good designs are more trustworthy
Today, it’s all about clean design and easy navigation. If your site is a cluttered mess that looks outdated, it’s time for a re-design.
6) It’s Slow
According to KISSmetrics, 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load!
If your old corporate website is slow, you not only risk annoying your customers (and causing them to give up and leave), but you also hurt your search engine ranking. There are lots of ways for a developer to speed up a website, so if yours is slow, it may be time for a re-design.
40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load!
Having a fast-loading website will not only ensure that your customers stick around, but also that they’ll have a great experience on your site!
7) You Can’t Easily Make Content Updates
If you can’t change your website without making a phone call to a developer, your website is being held hostage. I’ve seen countless people trapped by their development company, and it breaks my heart.
You should be in 100% control over your website, and your developer should be working their way out of a job to empower you, the business owner. The good news is: when you have a site on a CMS, you’re in control. If you need to make a content update to support a campaign, it’s easy! Re-developing your website in a CMS is a great move that really empowers your marketing team.
We use a variety of CMS’s to match the client’s need. The more customized to your business, the better!
8) You’re Embarrassed to Give Out Your URL
For any of the reasons mentioned above, or maybe for some reason I didn’t mention, if you’re embarrassed to give your URL out, it’s definitely time for a website update!
Your website is an investment in the future success of your business, and it’s important to view it that way. Having a strong online presence is no longer optional. In addition, your website can be the vehicle that helps you achieve your goals of better awareness, more leads and ultimately more happy customers.