Having a new website created for your business isn’t always your business’s cheapest investment and it understandable that small businesses in particular want to maximise the life span of their site. So how do we know the answer to the question ‘how often should I redesign my business website?’.
There are a few factors to look at when making a decision to create a new business website. As a website designer myself, I like to review my website design every 2 years. It gives me a chance to look at my website as a whole – which pages are working, could the design be better to help convert visitors into customers, could it be easier to use etc.
Another reason why you might redesign your website every couple of years is purely for cosmetic reasons. It just feels good to give your site a facelift and it also gives the message to customers that your site is ‘live and active’. It’s easy to spot a website with an old design and in the world of ‘website design’, designs can look dated relatively quickly.
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Do I need a new website?
If you of the points below apply to your site it might be time to consider having a new website built for your business.
1 Does your website work well on a mobile?
More and more people are searching for content on mobile devices, especially smart phones. As of April 21st 2015 Google stated that if your site is not mobile friendly it won’t be included in the search results on a mobile device. So if you want your site to be listed in a Google search you need to ensure your site includes responsive web design.
2 It’s in Flash
When Flash first made it’s appearance it was going to revolutionise the website design world because all sites looked exactly the same across all browsers. The downside of flash is that search engines cannot index Flash content which means search engines like Google don’t know what your website is about. Flash is now best used for peripheral embellishments to enhance a site – not to build the entire site. It’s also worth noting that iPhone and iPad do not support Flash elements. If you do need animation consider using HTML5 and CSS3.
3 Search engine position is low
Google is constantly updating is algorithms and the way it evaluates websites. If your site is old the content may well be stuffed with keywords and be a bit spammy. Having a new website gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate your SEO efforts, review the keyword phrases and write better content content for your site.
4 Website visitors don’t buy from you
It’s all well and good getting traffic to your site but once people have found your site for your services do they become visitors? When putting a website together you need to consider how the design of the website will funnel visitors to taking action whether that be filling out a form, buying online or calling a number.
5 Your website looks dated
Web design like other types of design has trends. It’s quite easy to spot a site that might have been designed 2 years ago because it has a particular look and feel. Your site needs to convey the message that your business is ‘alive’ and up to date and your website design reflects these perceptions. It’s a well known fact that people trust a website that has been designed well.
6 Your brand has changed
If you have a new business, you might modify your branding as your business grows. It’s important that your business branding is consistent across all platforms to help instil professionalism and trust in your business. If someone is given your business leaflet that is blue and your website is red it jars the sales experience and trust in your business. When it comes to branding you need consistency and updating your site is probably cheaper than a reprint.
7 Define your target audience
When you first created your site you might not have placed much importance of good copywriting. If your site is a couple of years old try reading through your web page content. I bet you’ll think this could read better and speak to our customers in a way a that they connect with. I’ve always found that the websites perform better when the content has been written by a professional copywriter.
8 Slow loading time
Most people now have broadband which means visitors expect websites to load fast. If they don’t your visitors ‘bounce’ off and look elsewhere. Having a fast loading website is imperative. Simple things to speed up a website are to compress CSS & JavaScript, enable Gzip and use a Content Delivery Network to deliver your site from servers closer to your visitors location.
9 Updating content is difficult
If your website is a static HTML website making changes could be difficult because you need to know html. If this is the case you really do need to consider having a new website created and built in a Content Management System such as Joomla. CMS websites easily allow you to login and make the changes you want to. Plus, you can allow others to login to your site and write content for you!
10 Your competitors look better
The good thing about the internet is that you can quickly look at your competition and see what they are doing. It’s worth researching your competitors websites and making a note of what design elements work well from the top 10 sites. Once you have that list your web designer can create a whole new look and feel that incorporates all of the good bits when creating a site for your business.
Article written by Neil Forrester | Pixelfire – Website Design Geelong
Experts in business website design, servicing Geelong and surrounding areas.
Call 1300 722271 or visit http://www.pixelfire.com.au
