8 Signs That You Know You Need to Redesign Your Website
The first day you launched your website, it met your needs and was a great marketing tool for your business.
That was probably many years ago and the world and your business has changed. Now your customers are using smart phones and tablets to view your website. Can your clients easily call you from your website on their smart phone? I know if they can’t, it can be a deal breaker for some and they will move onto the next website.
It’s very important that your website is current and delivers important information that’s easy for your customers to use and share. Neglecting your website is risky and can change the reputation of your company. Don’t take that risk – here’s some questions to help you determine if it’s time to redesign your website.
1. Has your business recently changed?
Businesses change all the time, but if it’s significant, it’s time to update your website.
Usually, this is the last marketing item that will be changed by a company when it should be the first. Your website is always available 24/7 and is usually the first point of entry where people learn about your services and products.
2. What are your analytics saying? How is your website ranking in the search engines?
Your web analytics will let you know right away if clients are visiting pages and for how long. You can easily track where people are going on your site and when they leave your website. This provides valuable data to help you determine if you need to restructure content and the navigation of the website.
3. Can you easily update your content on your website without calling a web designer?
If your website is easy to update, the chances are you will update it more. It’s critical that you align your website with a content management system that allow you and your team to easily change the content of the website.
We recommend WordPress as a content management system because:
* it’s very customizable
* streamlined features such as contact forms, calendars, and galleries
* supported by hundreds of developers world-wide
* has thousands of themes to choose from to transform a basic website into a beautiful work of art
4. Is your site navigation intuitive?
Having clear navigation throughout the entire site looks more professional and simply helps your customer find what they need. You can influence how people view your site by creating a flow that makes sense.
Good simple navigation means
1) information is clear and easy to find
2) nothing is hidden
3) pages can be found by search engines and are SEO friendly
5. Is the first thing your customers view a Flash Intro?
That’s so 2000! Flash is exciting but unfortunately most people don’t have time to sit through a long intro. Besides the fact that you can’t see Flash on an iPhone or iPad! Even with a “skip” button, it still slows down the whole user experience of your customer. Maybe they just wanted to see the hours of your store or peek at your latest products. A better idea is to replace Flash with a simpler animation or slideshows that can be seen by everyone and have it integrated into the website.
6. No one can read the content on your site
Maybe you have too many fonts or really tiny text. You can get excited about the design and forget how important the content is. If your customers can’t read the text on your website, it’s pretty much useless and you are losing business.
7. Is your website user friendly?
I’m talking about your home page, the very first page your customers see. It might be overloaded with graphics, animations, text and more. That’s just too much, especially if you are viewing the website on a smart phone. Consider the few elements that are most important and let go of the frills. Hiring a web designer or digital marketing expert can really help you determine the best strategy.
8. Is your website static? Can people connect with your business?
It’s beyond Web 2.0 and your customers expect to have a conversation and interact with your business through Facebook, Twitter or a blog. Start the conversation and make sure your social media is on the front page. Provide an immediate way for your customers to connect with you. You don’t have to be on every single social media, pick the channels your customers are already on and engage them.
Don’t miss out on more business! If any of the above applies to your website, it’s time for a redesign!
If you’re ready to get out of the weeds of your business and focus only on the work you enjoy doing most, then get in touch and we’ll talk about the best way to work together.