When should a company redesign its website?
A regular website redesign should be part of the marketing budget of every successful company. Sometimes, it can feel impossible to keep up with the latest web design trends! This propensity for change especially applies to new website design, as capabilities and standards are always being refined and advanced to create a better overall user experience. Chances are if your website hasn’t been changed at all in the last few years, it probably needs an overhaul or at least a structured redesign.
If that’s the case, you’re likely seeing the impacts of failing to keep your website updated. Your traffic may not be where you’d like it to be, and those who visit your site may be choosing not to follow through with your services. While a website redesign is not a fix-all, it can help increase traffic and business, as your site will be more search engine friendly and accessible.
What does a website redesign entail?
A website redesign can be a simple process, or a much more detailed one, depending on the last time your website was updated. You may need to update your content management system’s software and the images on your site, or you may need to overhaul your entire website. If it has been more than five years since you updated your site, your website is probably outdated and you will need to make some significant changes. You will want to make sure your website looks clean and modern, works with mobile devices, modern browsers, and is secure. If that is not the case, your company should be considering investing in a website redesign.
How often should I plan to update my site?
In 2019, with the web developing at an incredibly fast rate, keeping your website updated based on the latest web design trends is crucial to your company’s success online. Planning your website redesign should be part of your annual marketing strategy. You will want to spend time doing research and budgeting for the next major website upgrade. It can take three months to a year to redesign a website, so you should always be thinking about a website update or it is easy to get outdated.
Can I get away with minor website updates or a stylistic refresh?
At a minimum, once a year you should get a stylistic refresh to keep your website looking new and fresh. A stylistic update can include minor modifications to colors, graphics, and adjustments to the styles and theme of your website. This update could be an affordable option if your website were designed using industry standards for web development, including responsive coding, CSS, and clean HTML. If not, you might need to scrap your site for a full redesign.
How often do I need a full website redesign?
We recommend that you consider redesigning and developing your website every two years to keep up with the latest web design trends. This is because web technology changes rapidly, and you want your website to maintain its competitive advantage and stay secure.
How do I know if I need a redesign or just a stylistic refresh?
Here are the top five most obvious signs that your website is struggling and you probably need a total website redesign:
- Low-quality imagery. Your website has low-quality images that are only suitable for low-resolution monitors. Most modern web designs have images that are optimized and look good on both large screens and small mobile devices. It’s time to scrap those low-resolution graphics and upgrade your site.
- No responsive web design. When you visit the website on mobile devices, you need to zoom and pan to see and read your content. Today, more than half of website traffic is done on mobile devices. If your site is hard to read or navigate, you will lose customers.
- Slow loading time. If your site takes forever to load, it’s time to start over with a new website. Old websites can get bogged down with heavy graphics and outdated code. Search engines (and people) have little patience when it comes to slow websites. If your site is slow to load, it won’t rank in search engines, and people who click on it won’t stay long.
- Outdated, difficult-to-use software. You need to contact your web designer each time you want to add or modify content. Businesses that depend on web designers to update a site’s content usually have an old, outdated website that costs an arm and a leg to update. Today’s modern websites have affordable content management systems that make it possible for nontechnical people to make updates. It’s time to invest in one.
- Inaccessible, insecure software. When you visit your website, you see all kinds of security warnings from your browser or security software. You need a website that is 100% secure if your customers are going to trust that it is safe for them to use. If your site gets hacked, you and your customers might download ransomware or a virus that will compromise your computer and financial information. Get a new website and secure hosting service to avoid embarrassment and potential legal jeopardy if your business is responsible.
Conclusion: If your site is more than 2 years old you probably need a website redesign!
First, decide if you need a refresh or a total website redesign.
Remember, a redesign might not mean replacing your site and starting over, but instead, it could mean updating the content, colors, and graphics. You likely don’t need a total overhaul unless the software and code are unfit for modern devices and browsers and fail to comply with current industry standards. Therefore, if you built your website with a modern codebase, a web design firm can take it over and enhance it for your potential customers without having to completely recreate the whole website with new software.
When you create the proposal for our services, you will need to specify whether you’d like a redesign or refresh.
If your website is having any of these issues and you are also seeing less traffic than you’d like, then it’s time you seriously consider a to website overhaul. Reach out to us for information about how we can help with your website redesign! Once your website is upgraded, your business will see positive results.
