When Should You Redesign Your Website? Here’s How to Know

In the fast-paced world of online marketing, rapid change is a part of the game, and many times the tools and techniques that worked well in the past can become a liability before you know it. This holds especially true where your website is concerned; with web development technology evolving at blistering speeds, the need to stay on top of the finer details of your website’s design and usability is more important now than ever before.

When it comes to their website, some companies take the attitude of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but what if their definition of “broke” is incomplete? What are some things to look for to let you know whether your website is really up to snuff or not? Below are five telltale signs that it may be time to redesign your website.

1. Your website is not mobile-friendly.

The explosion of Internet-ready mobile devices that has taken place in recent years has been an absolute game-changer, and if you’re not taking steps to ensure that your website will properly display on mobile devices, you could be alienating a large portion of your Internet audience.

One of the best things you can do to make your website more accommodating to mobile traffic is to implement responsive design, which means that your website will automatically resize and rearrange page elements in order to fit smaller screen sizes. Not only will this benefit your business in terms of increased website usability, but thanks to Google’s recent decision to favor mobile-friendly websites in their search results, it will also have a positive impact on your search engine ranking as well.

2. Your website isn’t delivering the results you want.

Even if you have a professionally designed, “pixel-perfect” website, you may still need to consider making some changes if you’re not getting the results you want. If your website is plagued with high bounce rates, sparse conversions or dismal ROI, it may be time to rethink whether the current design is getting the job done or not.

Examine key areas such as your website’s look and feel (does it match the voice of your brand?), landing pages (do they hold your visitors’ attention?) and calls-to-action (are they compelling enough?). Be willing to make adjustments and test new design elements, page layouts, calls-to-action, etc., in order to discover what may yield better results.

3. The functionality of your website is sub-par.

Is your website user-friendly? Are the navigational menus confusing to use? Is your contact information hard to find, or missing altogether? Does your site have broken links, missing images, or outdated content? Perform an audit of your website’s functionality to determine if it is user-friendly and effective; if not, it could hinder your lead generation efforts and conversion rates.

4. Your website is slow.

Even if you have a beautifully designed website, it can still suffer from a high abandonment rate if it takes forever to load. According to data published by KISSmetrics, nearly 50% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less. In addition, 40% of consumers will abandon a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

While a couple of seconds here or there might not seem like a big deal at first, it can actually make all the difference in the world in terms of visitor retention and lowering your bounce rates. Not only that, but page load times are a significant factor in your search engine rankings as well.

5. Your website’s appearance is outdated.

Back in the days of Yahoo’s GeoCities, you could get away with multiple font styles, flashy GIFs, neon backgrounds and auto-play music when visitors land on your site, but now websites call for a more sophisticated and professional look and feel. Today’s websites focus more on clean page layouts, easy navigation and to-the-point content.

If the look of your site seems clunky, cluttered or outdated, it’s definitely time for a redesign. Since more than 75% of people will judge the credibility of your business by the design of your website, it is definitely worth your while to make sure that your website looks modern, engaging and user-friendly.

Given the highly competitive environment of the digital marketplace, it is absolutely critical for you to have a strong online presence. Use the ideas outlined above to help you craft a website that will not only accurately represent your brand, but also help you achieve your business goals.