It’s a mobile world that we live in. Information is readily available. It can be accessed by technology that can conveniently fit in the palm of your hand. Tastes, preferences, demand patterns, and trends can change without warning. If business conditions are dynamic, then your website should be allowed to evolve with the changing environment. You may not have noticed it, but there could be signs that tell it is time for a website redesign.

Come to think of it, when was the last time you had your website redesigned?

The design process does not end once your website goes live. To perform at its best, your website has to be maintained and updated regularly. Likewise, you should also look for ways to improve its aesthetic aspects, the degree of optimization, and the level of user experience.

A website redesign can be an expensive undertaking for a small business or an entrepreneur with limited capital. However, the returns will be worth it. Given the amount of investment that redesign may entail, it is always better to contract the services of a reputable professional web designer.

How do you know that it’s time to redesign your website? We have taken away the guesswork and have listed down the signs you should book a schedule with a web designer and give your site a complete makeover.

12 Signs That Your Business Needs a Website Redesign

1. Your Website Is Not Mobile-Responsive

The need for mobile-responsive web design was predicted by technology experts in 2013. They anticipated the growth of mobile technology; that it would one day surpass the popularity of the desktop PC. The future is here. As of 2014, more than 65% of online traffic originated from mobile devices.

Have you ever tried to access a website on your smartphone and you need to zoom in to read its content? You probably clicked out of the site right? That is not a mobile-responsive design.

A mobile-responsive design means your website can accommodate mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It should break down and set itself up nicely on the screen of a mobile device. The mobile-responsive design will fill up the screen without having the user zoom in on your content.

If your website is still not mobile-responsive, you will be undermining its chances of being found on the Internet. Google likewise has included mobile responsiveness as a ranking factor in its search algorithm.

2. Your Website Has a High Bounce Rate

A high bounce rate means your visitors are quickly leaving your website. It tells the search engine that visitors do not find value in your website. The search engine may penalize you by slapping your website down in its rankings.

Technical issues, user experience, or poor content are possible factors for having a high bounce rate. It usually happens on the Homepage because that is where visitors land when they click on your URL.

If your Homepage has a high bounce rate, it is an indication that visitors’ expectations were not met. You should have this immediately addressed with a website redesign before it further diminishes the reputation of your business.

3. Conversion Rate Has Not Improved

Among the primary reasons for experiencing slow conversion rates are outdated design and content. User experience is a critical component of website design. When visitors land on your website, they must feel secure, confident, and comfortable.

Outdated design and content could be disastrous, particularly for e-commerce websites. Poorly designed pages and vague content can be seen as misleading and may result in foregone transactions at the checkout counter.

If this happens more frequently, it is time for your website to get a redesign.

4. Website Page Loading Time is Slow

Your site visitors can be an impatient bunch. It used to be that they would wait for 3 seconds before deciding on pursuing the search. New data shows that the waiting period is down to 2 seconds.

Put simply, if your website page loading time is slow, users will abandon the search. It can be costly for your business in terms of opportunities lost and online reputation. Site speed is also a search ranking factor.

Test your website speed by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. If your website’s speed is not up to par with other sites, consider getting a redesign.

5. Your Website, Especially its Features and Content Look Outdated

We touched on this earlier and explained how having outdated design and content can affect your website’s conversion rates. There are other repercussions such as having low inbound traffic, poor lead generation, and consequently, low search rankings.

To stay relevant and become more useful to site users, your website’s features and content must be frequently updated. This is why most websites prefer to use WordPress as their CMS or Content Management System.

WordPress makes updating easy. It frequently releases advisories on updates for its programs and plugins. Updating these programs and plugins is very easy to do. WordPress’ interface is highly-navigable and user-friendly. The company made sure publishing your blogs and other forms of content can be done in a snap.

If your website is not using WordPress, consider making the switch by asking your professional web designer to migrate your site to it for your redesign.

6. Low Search Engine Visibility

There is more to having a website than being a footprint on the Internet. Unless your content can be found, then your website loses its value to your business. Keep in mind that a website is an investment in your business. Having low search engine visibility can lead to poor returns on your investment.

A website redesign can address issues that could be affecting your site’s visibility. We mentioned the lack of a mobile-responsive design, outdated content, and features as possible factors. There are other reasons such as poor site optimization and lack of marketing effort.

A web designer or agency that does design, SEO, and digital marketing can help improve your site’s visibility and initiate better ROI for your business.

7. Your Competitors Have Redesigned their Websites

The Internet has made the information very accessible to consumers. It has allowed consumers to make educated decisions before purchasing. They will read product reviews, and visit social media pages, and websites before finalizing their decision.

If your website provides users with a poor experience compared to your competitors, your business will be largely ignored. Consumers have very little patience when it comes to searching. They will not hesitate to patronize your competitor if your website fails to deliver consumer expectations.

In a highly competitive industry, you need every advantage you can get. You cannot let the competition stay ahead of you. If your competitors have redesigned their websites for the better, then so should you.

8. Site Users Have Given Unfavourable Feedback About Your Website

Despite your best intentions, it is not realistic to expect everyone will love your product and service. Entrepreneurs tend to view their business from a biased lens. This is why you should try to get user feedback as often as you can.

Users’ only interest is to have a great experience with your website. They will tell you like it is. If your website has received unfavorable feedback from its users, you should consider giving it a redesign.

What kinds of feedback would warrant redesigning your website?

  • Some or most of its features and content do not display properly.
  • Users have a hard time navigating around your website.
  • They do not find usable, valuable, and relevant content.
  • It does not download fast enough.

Take all kinds of feedback seriously. Discuss them with your web designer to determine the next course of action.

9. Difficult To Update Or Change Website Content

Blogging is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website. People love reading great content. Research has shown that businesses that publish at least 16 blogs per month generate 4.5 times more leads than those that post only four blogs per month.

If you want to increase the frequency of blogging, the last thing you need is a website that is difficult to update or change content. WordPress is widely recognized as the best CMS because the platform makes it easy to update or change content. This is the reason why WordPress is the industry leader; powering more than 30% of websites globally.

WordPress will greatly benefit your content marketing strategy. Just one more reason to switch to WordPress if your website is using another CMS.

10. Your Website Does Not Consider Social Media

Social media is a powerful driver of business. With more than 3 billion people actively engaging within their community and sharing content across a variety of networks, social media should be a regular item in your digital marketing toolbox.

If your website is not attracting followers or gaining greater search visibility, maybe you are not focusing enough resources on social media.

Are you planning to launch a new store or a new promo for Valentine’s Day? Use Twitter to send out invites or details about your event. Do you have new items on your products list? Create pins on Pinterest. People who click on your pins will get a link to your website.

Do you want to move up the search rankings? If you have a good-sized budget, you might consider putting out paid ads on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Social media gives you several options that will help your business achieve its online marketing goals.

11. Your Business Products, Services, and Branding Strategy Have Changed

As we mentioned earlier, your website must be dynamic. It must be allowed to evolve and accommodate changes in business conditions. This also refers to changes in your branding strategy, products, and services. Your website must likewise reflect the current status of your business.

What changes in business conditions or status will justify a decision to redesign your website?

Your buyers’ profile has changed. The demographics have shifted to market segments with different behavioral and consumption patterns.

Your products or services have changed. Your content which includes web copy, images, and videos must be changed to show the new products, services, and branding strategy.

Product details and specifications have changed. This is especially true if you have increased prices and the product/ service mix.

Other than just a web redesign, you might also want to consult with a brand strategist or digital marketer to firm up your online marketing and promotional campaign.

12. Site Security Is An Issue and No SSL Installed

Website security is a primary consideration for prospective site users. This is especially true for e-commerce websites where disclosing confidential information is a prerequisite to making a purchase.

Hackers and cyber-criminals are always looking for ways to stay one step ahead of the good guys. It is absolutely important to make sure your website’s security features are regularly updated and fortified.

For e-commerce websites, you should make it a point to have SSL or Secure Sockets Layer certificates. SSL assures site users that data transfer will be encrypted. You know if a site has SSL when the URL starts with “HTTPS” instead of “HTTP”.

Upgrading site security should be prioritized in your plans to redesign your website.

How often should you redesign your website?

It would depend on the type of website you have. If it’s an e-commerce website that normally carries a lot of features, you may have to schedule regular site audits from your web designer every three to six months.

The same can be said for websites that are highly active in blogging. Assuming your content marketing strategy is successful and your efforts have resulted in thousands of visitors per month, it might be worthwhile to have your site evaluated every month to ensure users of its functionality.

Of course, anti-virus and anti-malware features have to be updated as often as possible. SSL Certificates have an expiration date. Keep track of it or assign the task of updating the certificates to your web designer.

The bottom line is to take good care of your website. The more often you address its needs the lesser the possibility of undertaking a major website redesign in the future.

Last Updated on July 8, 2024