When Is The Time To Give Your Website A Facelift?
Did you know that a website is one of the most valuable marketing tools you can invest in? Furthermore, in today’s competitive business landscape, where customers expect easy and instant access to communication and information, simply having an antiquated site won’t cut it. First impressions are everything – so it’s crucial that your visitors have a delightful experience from the moment they land on your website.
Let’s set the record straight; a bad site isn’t acceptable in today’s business landscape. Consequently, change is necessary as it gives you a chance to improve, allows you to right the wrongs and gives you an opportunity for a fresh start. Most importantly, all websites should be redesigned with a few principles in mind such as easy to use layouts, content management, easy to follow navigation and pleasing aesthetics.
They say a diamond is forever, but sadly, the same cannot be said about a website. Concrete evidence indicates that 75 percent of potential customers judge the credibility of a business or company based on the design of its site. This statistic represents the undeniable importance of having an eye-catching website. Here are five key signs it’s time to revamp your website’s design:
Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly and Responsive
If visitors to your site have a hard time viewing it on their mobile devices or tablets, you might want to consider redesigning your website. You can reach a wider audience by optimizing your website to operate and automatically adjust to any screen resolution or size on all devices such as desktop, mobile, and tablet. Besides being responsive, your website must perform at optimum level and be user-friendly. Most importantly, your website’s design should not interfere with the user’s experience, irrespective of the device they are using. If your website is difficult to navigate, potential customers will certainly turn away from your page and look elsewhere. Aim to adapt a site that is both user-friendly and responsive.
It Just Looks Outdated
Picture this if you will - you are walking by a T-shirt shop with shirts in a display window that look faded, in styles of yesterday and dusty. Would you walk in or continue on to a store that looks better and well taken care of? Let’s face it: web design trends are constantly changing, and if your website is a few years old, it may look outdated. An outdated website can leave visitors wondering if the company or business still exists. If you do not update your site as often as you know you should, a website redesign provides the perfect opportunity to remedy the problem.
Your site is slow
Did you know that most people abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load? A slow site is never a good thing since you run the risk of losing and annoying potential customers. Moreover, a slow website will hurt your Google search engine ranking. Customers, especially paying customers, want to purchase products online from a reliable and fast website. Once you realize that your site is taking too long to load, you should immediately start seeking for the help of a professional web designer to have it redesigned.
Irrelevant Content
If your website’s content is outdated, you might be missing out on inquiries and sales. You may be offering completely different services or products than your site indicates. A simple mistake like forgetting to update your contact information can ruin the chances of a customer finding or getting in touch with your business. The secret to an effective site is to provide useful, fresh information on a regular basis. Although redesigning your website is not a simple task, it’s well worth the effort if it means that your business can continue to pull in new customers and stay at the top of your industry.
It’s Not an Effective Marketing Tool
If for the most part, the only people who visit your website are your family and friends, then you are missing out on a huge opportunity to attract potential customers online. Here is what you need to attract new customers online: an effective website, and an online marketing strategy.
Your online marketing strategy is highly dependent on the competition in your market, your specialty, and how your site is currently performing. Your online marketing strategy may include the following services: social media posting, online reputation management, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, blogging and search engine optimization (SEO).
On the flipside, you can drive a lot of traffic to your website, but it will be wasted energy if your site is not effective. Your website should be able to capture visitors’ attention, engage them and have strong calls to action in order to convert traffic to potential customers.
Visitors Aren’t Converting
In the simplest layman terms, your conversion rates are the percentage of your site’s visitors who have taken a desired action. For instance, it could be making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or even filling out a form to provide contact information. So, if the rates indicate subscribers are down from the previous month while unsubscribes are through the roof. This is an indication that your website is boring and needs a facelift.
Zero Social Engagement
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you should be aware that social media has a huge impact on both small and large businesses. Even better, social media platforms enable you to establish and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with loyal customers. Nevertheless, it gives your business a lot of exposure without having to spend a considerable amount of money on adverts. The feedback in your social media interaction is a reflection of how the public perceives your business and your website. So, how many customers have shared your content or mentioned your brand?
It Just Might be Too Overwhelming
Embedded auto play sound tracks, a lot of separate widgets and text boxes, lots of blinking and sliding, and excessively bright patterns can send potential customers into sensory overload. Keep it as simple as possible and focus on quality rather than quantity. Your website is the key to your online brand and identity. Make sure it is eye- catching and not exaggerated.
Conclusion
There are many web development/design experts out there who are professionals in creating inbound-friendly websites. Some even offer a proven and tested process that provides a simple solution to execute a successful website designed in an efficient, timely manner.
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