Your website is the face of your business, the welcome mat that invites visitors in. It’s an opportunity to turn a casual surfer into a loyal customer, and you designed it with care. With that said, how do you know if it’s time for a change and a website redesign is looming?
When Is It Time For A Website Redesign?
Starting over again may be an overwhelming task, but a website that does not help you reach the goals you’ve set for your business is an ineffective one.
Identifying the signs that hinder your growth is a step in the right direction. If any of the signs below are true about your site, consider a website redesign to remain relevant in the face of the ever-changing eCommerce market.
1. Your Website Has a High Bounce Rate.
This is usually the biggest sign you need a makeover. In layman’s terms, bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who make a single-page visit to your website and leave without taking any action. No link clicks, no form filling, and definitely no purchase. Just a one-and-done visit.
According to Littledata, the average bounce rate from desktop Google searches is 41%, while mobile searches have 52% as the average.
If your site is experiencing higher than average bounce rates, it’s time to take a closer look at why this is happening. And if your site is registering bounce rates of more than 61.2% for desktop searches and 71.2% for mobile, you are in deep trouble unless you make the required website redesign change.
2. Your Site Looks Dated.
Looks do matter. As the average user’s attention span decreases, so does the value of the first impression increases. That means the instant users see a page from the early 2000s, they’re liable to click out.
While function is critical in a site, it also needs to look current. And if your visitors don’t like what they see, that could hurt your search rankings too. (Remember that user experience is one of the factors in ranking high on search pages.)
That goes for loading speed too. Today’s visitors expect modern loading speeds, which means fast. Research shows that the majority of users ditch a site that takes more than three seconds to load. If your website isn’t keeping up with the climbing standards, you’ll be losing customers at the first click.
3. Your Site Is Not Optimized For Mobile.
As early as 2016, Google expressed interest in mobile-first indexing. Now it’s 2022 and almost all sites are ranked based on the traction of their mobile versions, abandoning the desktop-first system of years ago.
Optimizing your website for mobile will affect how likely you are to appear on a Google search. And with the majority of users doing their browsing on a mobile, you’ll be better able to cater to your target market.
4. Your Site Is Not Optimized For All Browsers
While Chrome has been the dominant browser for some years now, browsers such as Firefox and Safari remain valid ways of directing users to your site. In fact, another browser, Microsoft Edge, is gaining traction now as the fastest one available, even more than Chrome.
Users expect a seamless experience across all browsers, so if crashes on the alternatives are a problem, it may be time for an overhaul.
5. The Style Is Inconsistent With Your Brand
Brand association is how customers remember a brand. This encompasses your core values, customer experience, AND brand identity elements. If your website design veers away from your branding, visitors are more likely to forget your business and what it offers.
Every element on your website must reflect your brand to keep your identity consistent and recognizable.
6. You Can’t Make Updates Easily
If simple updates to your website can’t be done without a developer to guide you, it’s probably time to consider relocating to a new platform with an easy-to-use management system. And if you spend more time troubleshooting technical aspects of your site than you do with managing your business, it may be time to consider having the entire website redesigned and overhauled.
An Effective Website Will Help Your Business Grow A Stronger Online Presence
Your website should have the ability to grow with you and your business. If it doesn’t, chances are that your profits won’t have a chance to grow either. For over 10 years, epic has been designing beautiful and efficient websites that help businesses thrive. Talk to us and see how we can help yours expand and grow. Call us at (888) 498-5361 or drop us a note here.
