“When should I redesign my website?”
That is one of the top questions we are asked by prospective & current clients. Truthfully, the answer isn’t that simple. The average lifetime of a website is 2-3 years. Some websites may need to be redesigned less than a year after being built; Others will make it nearly 7 years and only need a few tweaks to keep it up to date.
The question of when to redesign your website should not be based on a number of years. It should be made based on how it is performing according to current industry standards.
Here are 5 glaringly obvious signs it may be time to redesign your website:
#1 No or Less than Average Conversions
The greatest sign that your website needs a massive overhaul is that it’s not providing conversions. When web visitors aren’t buying your products/services, opting into your offers, or filling out your contact forms, there’s a problem. More than likely – the problem is your website.
Below are some of the most common reasons for conversion issues:
– Non mobile-responsive website
– It isn’t user-friendly
– Messaging isn’t clear
– Difficult or impossible to fill out forms
– Broken links
#2 Lacking Basic On-Page SEO
In order to rank on websites such as Google, Bing, and other search engines, your site must have basic on-page search engine optimization (SEO).
Every page on your website needs a title tag that describes the focus of the page. Title tags are the clickable headlines that are displayed on search engine results pages. Having accurate title tags is vital for SEO.
Other necessary on-page SEO features to include on your website include:
– Meta descriptions
– H1 headings on every page consistent with the title tag
– Keyword-rich URL links
– File names that are keyword-friendly
– Alt text attributes for images
#3 Slow Load Time
It’s no secret that consumers today are impatient and have become accustomed to instant gratification. Because of that, you are likely losing a good bit of your web traffic if your website loads in more than 3 seconds.
A recent Kiss Metrics report showed that:
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47% of web visitors expect a load time of 2 seconds or less
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40% of visitors will leave a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load
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A delay of more than 1 second when a user clicks a button can result in a 7% reduction in conversions
The longer your website takes to load, the greater potential that your web visitors will leave your site to find a faster one.
#4 It’s Not Optimized for Mobile
50% of people viewing the internet are doing so on their mobile phones!
With a stat like that, it’s not acceptable to have a website that is not fully functional on mobile. It’s not enough to just show up on mobile – it needs to work just as functionally as on desktop.
If your web visitors can’t successfully navigate your site on their phones they are likely to leave your site in favor of a competitor whose website is functional.
#5: All Your Competitors Have Newer Sites
While you don’t have to redesign your website just because your competitor does, your audience will notice if your site is obviously far behind the quality of your competitors.
Compare the look, feel, and functionality of your website to that of your top competitors. If your website doesn’t stack up, web visitors may gloss over your company when they are making a decision of who to work with or buy from.
Your website is likely the first (and possibly only) impression a potential customer may have of your business – so make it count!
Next Steps
If your website exhibits any (or possibly all) of these signs, it’s time to seriously consider a website redesign. Redesigning your website with an agency like us that is skilled in creating high-quality websites designed to perform at max capacity is a great way to set yourself above the pack.
Our client TexasLending.com underwent an extensive redesign of their website which included features such as a multi-step state-of-the-art sales funnel, a page speed of 90 or above for mobile and desktop, and SEO for #1 Ranking on top locations terms.
Through the redesign, we saw their conversion peak at 21% – a 3.5X increase – and the site duration increased by 5X!
If you’re ready to ditch your old website and trade it in for a newer, higher-performing model schedule a strategy session with our team here.
