These days, the importance of having an up-to-date web design can’t be understated. Your business must have an online presence so that your customers and potential customers can research your company and understand your products or services. In doing these, it’s important that your website reflects professionalism by being aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. After all, your website functions as an around-the-clock salesperson for you. You want to make sure that the salesperson dresses nicely and charms your customers.
Of course, redesigning your website can be a lot of work. To do it the right way requires a lot of time and energy, whether you’re paying a freelancer or individual to do it or you’re taking it on yourself. But being able to stand back and take a look at your completed website, knowing that your customers will see it and appreciate its sleek web design and easy interface, makes it all worth it. Here are 7 reasons it may be time for a new web design.
1. Your Web Design is Outdated
There are different reasons a company may choose to go down the long process of redesigning their site, but one of the biggest reasons is to redesign their out-of-date website. There are a lot of companies out there that don’t put much focus on keeping their site updated and, as a result, they have sites that look years old. This can give the appearance that the businesses aren’t thriving and turn customers away. As with most things in the realm of technology, web design trends move fast and change often. In fact, 75% of consumers admit that they judge a business’ credibility based on their website design. Staying on top of these trends and keeping your site looking new and fresh can mean the difference between a customer choosing your business over another one.
2. Your Website isn’t Responsive
Years ago, it was a whole lot easier for businesses to maintain their websites. It was only necessary to design for desktop computers. Nowadays, though, you have to consider so many more screen sizes and modes of access: Phones, tablets, smartwatches, and many other internet-connected devices and screens have proliferated the world. When users access your site, they want to have a seamless experience, no matter what device they’re using. If they added a product of yours to their shopping cart on your site, that item had better be there when they log in on their desktop. It’s likely that, if users can’t get a seamless experience with your site across their devices, you’ll lose them as a customer. Learn more about Responsive Web Design.
3. Your Product Offering Isn’t Accurate
As your business grows, you’ll likely add offerings, whether it’s expanding into new services or launching new products. Many times, businesses neglect this on their website, so people who visit have no idea about what your latest offerings are. It’s important for your business’s products and services to be accurately reflected on your site as you grow. This is even more important when you’re aware of customers that check your website before giving you a call or coming into your place of business.
4. Your Competitors Have a Better Website
Many users will go to a website of multiple companies before choosing a product or service. While good service and products will keep a customer coming back, at times, your website will be the only thing a potential lead interacts with before making a decision. It’s important that you keep on eye on your top competitor’s websites and make sure yours is at least as good as theirs. Put yourself in a user’s shoes and determine which company you’d choose based on what you see.
5. Third-party Tools are Outdated
There are a lot of tools and plugins out there that can improve the functionality of your site. These can include plugins for web-based stores, social media scripts, or things like WordPress plugins. These sorts of tools can be invaluable to your site, but it’s important to make sure you’re using the best ones available. Often, these tools can be abandoned and outdated, leading to a poor experience on your website.
6. You Don’t Have Website Editing Capabilities
Content marketing is immensely important in the success of your website. As the adage goes, content is king. Whether you’re creating blog posts, videos, instructions, or other sorts of content, it’s imperative that you be able to keep your site updated and fresh information so that your business is authoritative in your space. Older sites can be static and not have this ability, so you may want to consider updating your site and building it around a content management system. This will also help with search engine optimization.
7. You Need to Improve Conversions
Maybe your site looks great, but it’s just not getting you the conversions you’d like to see. This is where you’ll want to take a look at your landing pages, your calls-to-action (CTA), and your paths to conversion. Examine where your leads are dropping off and consider revamping these processes. Even if your site is aesthetically pleasing, keeping it designed well so that your users can convert with the least amount of effort can be an on-going process.
Contact us today to get started on your new responsive and higher converting website.
