As a small business owner in a technology-driven society, it’s imperative to keep things fresh and up to date. This includes your website, the digital face of your company and strongest marketing tool you have. If your website isn’t bringing the traffic or conversions you need, a website redesign may be a good option for you.
Signs Your Website Needs A Redesign
So, what are the signs your website may be in need of a redesign?
Your Site Isn’t User-Friendly
If your website is not designed to be user-friendly for both desktop and mobile you’re already disappointing over half your audience. According to a study by SimilarWeb 58% of traffic sources are from mobile devices. To have a successful online presence you must make navigation easy and intuitive, optimize for speed, and highlight your call to actions.
A Non-Functioning Content Management System (CMS)
If updating photography or adding new content to the back end of your website is frustrating and time-consuming, it may be time to upgrade to a new CMS. Your CMS is the backbone of your website. If it is outdated, inconsistent and slow to load, your website will be too.
You’ve Had A Brand Change
As your company evolves and changes sometimes your brand does too. Your users need to have a clear understanding of what your company represents and offers. If your site doesn’t align with your brand anymore then it may be time for a redesign.
Preparing For Your Website Redesign
When preparing for a website redesign it’s best to have a plan of action. A few things to keep in mind when creating your game plan:
1. Assess Your Brand
Just as you are refreshing your website, it may also be time to refresh your brand. Re-examine the market and your competitors. What sets your business apart from the competition? Does your logo look outdated? If you’re taking the time and money to do a website redesign you want to make sure your brand is just as fresh.
2. Come Up With A Strategy (Make Data-Driven Decisions)
To create a strategy that works well for you start by measuring your current sites performance. What do you think is working and what’s not? Next, determine what your goals are. Are you redesigning to generate more leads, sell more product, or increase awareness? If you don’t have analytics tracking on your current site we highly recommend it moving forward. Tracking tools such as google analytics can give you specific data on conversion numbers, user landing pages, exit pages, bounce rates and more. Using this information can help guide you in creating a continuous strategy to increase user traffic and conversion rates for your new site.
3. Content Audit
In a perfect world, we’d all stay on top of reviewing and updating the content on our site, but life is crazy and most businesses don’t have the time. This is the perfect opportunity to take a good look at every piece of copy you have and decide if you want to use it, repurpose it, or trash it. Every piece of content that is brought across to your new site should be current, useful, and well optimized.
4. Update Photography
We all know the old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. In the same way, users are making conscious and subconscious decisions about your brand based on the photography you use on your site. If you are using low-quality, pixelated images, what message does that send to the end-users about your brand? The imagery on your site tells a story just as much as the content. If you want your message to feel personal, avoid stock photography. Take the time during this redesign to get authentic photos of your team and business.
5. Find A Team That Fits Your Vision
Website design of any kind is a major investment and it’s important to have a team behind you that you trust to listen to your ideas and bring your vision to life. To get an idea if a design company will be a good fit for you, look at their portfolio of recent projects. If you don’t see anything you like that’s a clear red flag they won’t be a good fit for you. Additionally, read about other client experiences with that agency through reviews. If you have any more questions or would like a free consultation feel free to reach out! Our web design team would be happy to assist you in your redesign!
