By: Nahida Haque /
03 May 2018
When a client gets their initial impressions of you and your business, chances are it is through your website. Whether you have been recommended by an acquaintance, they have been referred via advertising or have simply found you through a search engine, it is important not to underestimate the importance of providing a great website. In fact, research has shown that users make a decision whether to take a closer look at your site within just 15 seconds.
Therefore, it’s really important to make sure your site is the best it can be to garner potential custom. So, it’s a good idea to consider a website redesign reasonably regularly. With trends and markets changing so rapidly, it’s important to keep up-to-date and review your website design and content every year or so. So, what are the signs you need a revamp? Read on for our top ten signs you need a website redesign.
1. It’s Not Mobile-friendly
Nowadays, nearly half the population use their smartphone or mobile device as their main way of checking out new products and services online. Furthermore, the majority of clients are more likely to buy something when a website is optimized for mobile devices. Therefore, if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, now’s the time to sort it out. After all, that’s nearly 50% of potential clients you’re missing out on!
2. People ‘click and run’
If you’re finding that people are leaving your site after very short time periods, that’s a sign that your website lacks initial appeal or is not providing the potential customer with what they’re looking for. If this is the case for you, it’s time to think about your target customer and their needs. Then you can focus on redesigning your website and making it more appealing to your target market.
3. It’s Not Easy on The Eye
There’s an old saying that goes: ‘Never judge a book by its cover’. However, this is completely unavoidable when it comes to websites. If your website looks outdated, unappealing or just plain ugly, this gives a bad first impression and can put customers off finding out more. Therefore, a website that looks slick, professional and in-line with current trends should be at the top of your list.
4. You’ve Checked Out The Competition, And Theirs Looks Better
Following on from the last point, it’s really important to check out the websites of your competitors and make an honest and unflinching comparison. If you were a customer, which site would impress you most? Aim to at least match and ideally exceed the quality of your competitors’ websites.
5. Your Target Audience Has Changed
Part of running a successful business is being able to adapt and explore new potential client bases. Therefore, as you follow new avenues in terms of what you offer and to whom, you may find that the majority of your clients are a different demographic from when you last updated your site. So, ask yourself: am I still selling to the same target market? Do I need to change my site to reflect this?
6. It Takes Ages To Load
None of us are strangers to the fact that a slow-loading website is super-annoying. Too long and we can lose patience and navigate away double-quick. In a world of extremely fast internet speeds, studies have shown that nearly half of people think the maximum acceptable loading time for a site is 2 seconds. A slow loading site will not only leave you with disgruntled customers but also lower SEO ratings.
7. It Has A Low SEO Ranking
Almost all engagement with websites starts with a search engine. If your website is showing up very low down the list of results, this can be a disaster when it comes to generating new business. In fact, ¾ of people never look beyond the first page of results. So, google some of the keywords associated with your business. Where does your website show up in the list of results? If it’s low down, now’s the time for a redesign with SEO in mind.
8. The Website Doesn’t Meet Your Goals
A good website should be designed with key goals in mind, and these should be easily measured. Without such a system in place, it’s impossible to know whether your site is doing a good job of generating leads and growing your business. If this is the case, during the redesign process set goals for your site and devise ways of measuring success. This will help you to gauge the efficacy of the site and know where to make improvements.
9. Your Brand Identity Has Changed
Over time, many businesses evolve to better meet the needs of their client base. Ask yourself: are we exactly the same business as we were when the site was last redesigned? Ensuring that your site is in line with your most current brand identity reduces potential confusion for customers and ensures a first impression in line with what you want to achieve for your business.
10. Your Security Isn’t Top-notch
Any time you are given personal information over your website by a customer, you are put in a unique position of trust. The onus is on you to take every reasonable step to keep that information safe and secure. The nature of online security risks are constantly changing, and keeping your security tools up-to-date is an absolute must. Therefore, a redesign is a great opportunity to shine a light on this important factor.
If, after reading our top ten, you think your business website may benefit from a revamp, help is at hand. Iexperto can help you with all aspects of website redesign, from optimizing SEO, improving mobile capability, updating security tools and much more. To talk in more detail about your business and website redesign needs with one of our experts, get in touch via our website at www.iexperto.ca.
