Embarking upon a website redesign is a big decision. It requires a lot of time, thought, and money. But if you think of your website as your top sales rep, it makes sense to invest the necessary resources into its performance.
At the same time, you don’t want to fix what’s not broken. Not every site is in need of a website redesign. Taking a hard look at your business goals and analyzing whether or not your site is helping you achieve these goals is a necessary first step before any website redesign project.
So sit down and put your thinking cap on. Here are five obvious reasons why it might be time to redesign your website this year.
1. Your Website Isn’t Performing the Way It Should
Here’s some tough love. You might have the most beautifully designed, functional, and picture-perfect site - BUT, if it’s not converting, what good is it really? The whole point of your website is to build your customer base, attract prospects, and convert leads. Sit down and take a hard look at your data. Is your site performing the way that you need it to?
Here are some metrics you’ll want to pay attention to:
- Visitor to lead conversion rate
- Lead to customer conversion rate
- Bounce rate
Pretend you’re the prospect for a moment and look critically at your site. Are your call-to-actions clear and actionable? Do your landing pages educate the buyer while pushing users down the funnel, or are they simply aesthetically pleasing? Do you have enough images on your site, or is it too text-heavy? Are you using language filled with jargon terms, or conversational copy designed to get users to convert?
If you find that your website isn’t performing the way that you’d like it to, then it’s time to embark on a website redesign project.
2. Your Website Isn’t Responsive
Over half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site isn’t designed with mobile in mind, you're missing out on a BIG piece of the puzzle. Mobile responsive sites are no longer an option, it’s a requirement. People want information on the go, and they want it fast. If you’re not catering to prospects where they’re at, you’ll lose them to a competitor who is.
So how do you know if your website is responsive? First, here’s a quick refresh. Responsive web design means that your site will display without any problems on any type of browser or device. The design layout will automatically adapt to different screen sizes and device capabilities.
You can use Google’s Mobile Friendly test for a simple way to check if your website is mobile. There’s also a variety of online tools you can use to see what your site looks like on a wide range of different devices. Here are a few to try out:
- BrowserStack - This is a free cross browser testing tool that will show you what your website looks like on some of the latest and most popular physical smartphones and tablets.
- Responsive Design Checker - This is another free tool that shows a variety of different screens, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. A handy feature is the ability to take screenshots, which can be helpful if creating design mockups.
- Google Chrome - If you’re a Chrome user, you can also check the responsiveness straight from your browser. Just right-click and click “inspect” before selecting the “Toggle Device Toolbar” highlighted in the image below. This will show you what your screen looks like on a smaller device.
Once you’ve got an idea of what your website looks like on mobile, here are some things you’ll want to look for to ensure a good user experience on mobile:
- Double-check font - is it legible on all types of devices?
- Double-check that all videos and images display without any issues.
- Make sure there are no scrolling issues.
- Double-check the site menu, and make sure the navigation is responsive.
- Test the user experience. Bounce around pages, and test returning to the home page.
If you have problems with any of the above tests, or it’s clear you’re site isn’t responsive, then it’s time to consider redesigning your site to a more mobile-friendly layout.
3. Your Website Isn’t Optimized for Speed
Hand in hand with a responsive design is page speed. Google’s updated algorithm, Page Experience, rewards websites that load quickly. So if you want your website to perform well, it’s critical that you test page speed and optimize accordingly.
Keep in mind that 47 percent of website users expect a website to load in two seconds or less. Google reports that when load time of a site increases from one second to three, bounce rates increase by 32 percent. Even more staggering? If that number increases by just two seconds, a user is 90 percent likely to bounce.
There's a ton of different ways to check page speed, but we’d recommend starting with Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. Enter your domain URL, and it will score your site on a scale from 0-100, with 0-49 being poor, 50-89 needing improvement, and 90-100 as ideal.
If you’re struggling with page speed, it might be time to consider a website redesign. In the course of such a project, you might even want to consider a new hosting service. Companies, such as HubSpot, provide support and built-in tools for site speed that can dramatically increase both user experience and load time.
4. Your Website is Misaligned with Your Company’s Goals
The start of a new year is often a time we, as marketers, take a hard look at our goals for the future. Sometimes it can be a time of change. Maybe your services have expanded. Maybe your ideal customer is shifting. Or maybe, the overall mission of your brand has changed. Either way, when setting your goals for the year ahead, consider how your website plays into them.
Remember, that your site is essentially the digital storefront of your company. If it doesn’t accurately reflect who you are, you’ll confuse prospects and have a harder time establishing trust and authenticity as a brand.
If you are considering a rebranding campaign, now is the perfect time to embark on a website redesign. Your brand and your website go hand-in-hand. Your company’s identity can only be as strong as its site presence.
5. Your Website Doesn’t Support Your Content Strategy
Finally, marketers know content is king. If your site doesn’t support your content strategy, then it’s high time for a redesign.
Content is an important part of building trust with buyers, establishing credibility, educating customers, and nurturing leads down the sales funnel. But if you’re cranking out fantastic, high-quality content and never getting found on search engines, something has to change.
If your goals for the next year include ramping up content production (smart move), then it’s time to ask yourself some hard questions about your site.
- Are your blogs currently being indexed?
- Is your content ranking high against competitors?
- Are you converting traffic that lands on these pages?
If you answered no to any of those questions, it might be valuable to consider redesigning your site in conjunction with boosting your content strategy. You don’t want to spin your wheels in place. A website redesign can be the fuel that starts moving your content strategy in the right direction.
Is it Time to Redesign Your Business Website?
We talked about a lot. Let’s pause for a second and think big. Assess your website’s biggest pain points. Do any of the above signs ring true? If so, it might be time to start thinking about a website redesign project.
But if you’re still on the fence, try stepping back and putting yourself in the shoes of your user. The ultimate, tell-tale sign of a successful website is user experience. In 2022, make it your focus to deliver the best possible experience for your customer. If that means changing things up with your site, we’re here to help. Let’s talk! We’ll help you decide if you’re in need of a full website redesign, a few small tweaks, or if you’re already set up for success.
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