Redesigning your website is necessary to keep up with ever-changing technologies. Your website is your best marketing tool, acting as a public persona to reflect your brands vision and concept. As a vital partner in the growth and success of your business, your website needs to remain relevant and effective to increase traffic, conversions and profit. A neglected website won’t do your business any favours and instead will work against the growth of your company.
Redesign isn’t all about appearances either, it also concerns itself with the functionality and performance of your website. As your business’ primary sales agent, it is essential that your eCommerce site is kept up to speed with web design trends, social media interactions, search engine algorithms and new technology.
So, how can you tell if it’s time to redesign your website?
1. Your Site is NOT Responsive
You can reach a wider audience by adapting your website to operate across all devices such as mobile, tablet and desktop. A responsive website still isn’t enough though. It must be user friendly and perform at optimum level. Your web design should not hinder user’s experience, no matter what device they are using. If your site is difficult to navigate, potential customers will inevitably turn away from your page and look elsewhere. Aim to adapt a website that is both responsive and user friendly.
2. Your site has an Outdated Appearance
Like a book, many people judge a website by its cover. The cover in this case, refers to your websites appearance. A website made in 2005 for instance, will be considered extremely out of sync in these modern times. People want crisp, clean and fresh content on an ongoing basis, so if your website is outdated it will damage your business more than you might think. A site with old graphics and content will not grab anybody’s attention. A clean site design and regular updates is essential to keep your website at the top of the search engine leader board. An outdated website will not be able to compete with competitors with a better design.
3. You’re in Need of an Upgraded CMS
If you find that it is difficult to update your website, it is most likely due to the fact that you are using an outdated and poor performing Content Management System (CMS). A redesign will be needed to ensure a top quality CMS and a contemporary and technologically advanced finish. Hiring a web developer is the easiest solution because they will be able to install a professional CMS and redesign your entire website if you feel it is necessary. An updated and fully functional CMS is important to reduce the chances of hackers or unwanted third parties from entering your site.
4. Your Business is headed in a New Direction
Taking your business in a new direction or undergoing re-branding will inevitably require a thorough website redesign. Your website needs to reflect these new changes and incorporate aspects such as a new logo, new colours, fresh and updated content. Basically, your website should confirm this change and showcase it in a way that is relevant and effective. You may need changes made to simple aspects of your site such as font, layout or colour scheme. Bigger changes can also be made and implemented to reflect your business’ re-branding process.
5. You’re Competitors Website Outperforms Yours
If you feel that your competitor’s website looks and performs better than your own, it may be time to redesign. Signs that competitors sites are doing significantly better than yours includes faster loading times, higher quality content, more useful features and sharper images etc. Search engines such as Google will rank a well-performing site higher than one in need of a serious refurbishment. If your competitors are outranking you on search engine results pages, it is probably due to the fact that they have correctly incorporated SEO best practices. You can keep up with your competitors by implementing SEO as a part of the redesign process.
Our multi-award winning marketeers and developers are also waiting to help with any digital marketing, adwords, social media, SEO Belfast or Magento ecommerce web design questions you may have. We also provide training for third party SEO software tools such as MOZ to ensure you can clearly monitor progress and ensure your campaign is of the highest quality.
