Sometimes its really obvious that a website needs a redesign, sometimes it's not so obvious but still needs doing. We help you understand when a re-design is needed and when it's just a tweak.
MOBILE FRIENDLY
The main technical reason for a website redesign today would be to make it mobile friendly. With Google algorithm updates changing the way websites are ranked to look at the mobile version of your website first, never has it been more important for your website to load quickly and be easy to use on a small device. If your website isn't both, then it really is time to think about a complete website redesign. You may be able to make adjustments to make a website mobile friendly, but in my experience, this never really works. In the long term, a complete redesign would be a far better investment for the longevity of your website.
OPTIMISED FOR SEARCH
Is your website ranking well for the words people use about your business? If you have a mobile-friendly website but you are still struggling to be returned in highly relevant searches, then it's more than likely that your website needs some further optimising for search engines. This doesn't always mean a website re-design. It may mean you need to review and update the keywords and phrases used on your website; it may need some layout changes to make sure your keywords are featuring in your headings but you don't necessarily need to scrap the whole website.
This is a free checker where you can enter your website address and see just how well it's performing: seositecheckup.com. You get one check a day for free and the feedback is very clear and easy to understand.
ENGAGING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
Is your website engaging with your audience? I mean once visitors are on your website are they staying on it for a decent amount of time? Are they visiting lots of pages to find out more? Do you capture the details of those who are really interested in your product or service?
If these are issues you experience with your website, it may not mean a completely new website is needed, it could be the content just needs to be adjusted to speak to your audience. It may be you need to make some functional additions to enable your website to meet your marketing needs by adding data capture via forms and you may want to consider the use of video if you don't already
CONSISTENT WITH YOUR BRAND
Does your website truly represent your business and what you have to offer to your customers? It may be your business has grown and evolved or you've added new services but your website doesn't really reflect that.
You may have decided to update your brand but left your website til last - that's not really a great idea. Your audience will notice and they only need the slightest thing to erk them for them to move on to your competitor.
A change to your brand and business doesn't necessarily mean a whole new website, you may be to update the look and change the content so it really is reflective.
YOUR COMPETITION
How does your website look compared to your competitors? Is it a little sad and outdated? If this the case then its likely that your search ranking will also be poor and the combination of the two probably means that its time to move your website on. Things in web design move fast and whilst no small business can afford to redesign for each new trend, common themes of large striking imagery or video, engaging content and a simple, easy to use navigation are likely to stand the test of time, for a while anyway.
Talking about being outdated - does your website use Flash? If so, you really do need a refresh I'm afraid or at very least remove the elements that use Flash. Flash isn't viewable on iPads and iPhones and search engines can't read Flash so they can't index and rank any Flash content.
EASY TO UPDATE
Can you easily update your content? When it comes to keeping your website up to date, this is really key.an inability to keep your website updated, you may not need a re-design, just the integration of a Content Management System. This can often be done without the need for a full website redesign if all the other elements are working for you.
We recently updated our website - our previous website worked well on a mobile, had good SEO and all the functional elements we needed but we are moving our business in some new directions and we want to be able to showcase this.
Digital agency websites all have a certain look, and whilst we don't want to fade into the crowd, our research has proved that our clients do expect a certain look and layout and we wanted to move closer to that. We also wanted to try out some of the new trends for 2018 with bolder colours, gradients and a growing use of video.
If you need help deciding whether or not you need a new website, you can download our Small Business Website Checklist.
Alternatively get in touch with us for a chat on 01752 651414 or [email protected]
To read more about how important your website is for your small business, please talk a look at our small business website design page.
