Whether you’ve intentionally typed in “is it time to redesign your website” into your search engine or just happened to stumble upon this blog post, a website’s design is equally important for every business user to consider. Did you know that 94% of internet users form a first impression of a website and company based on the website design? That’s definitely not a percentage you can just ignore. If the majority of online users feel that website design is that important, why shouldn’t you?
Before we get into the specifics of when and how you should redesign your website, let’s first talk about what aspects of website design are important. Here are a few basic things you should incorporate when it comes to designing your website for best results:
1) Engaging visuals — From images to videos, visual content makes up some of the most engaging parts of your website. According to WordStream, people will remember 85% more content when consumed in video form rather than text form. Images can also be a great way to break up large chunks of text so that your reader doesn’t get lost or bored when scanning information on your page.
2) Explanatory tools — Speaking of visual content, videos are an effective way to show people how to use your product or service. Especially if what you’re marketing is complex to understand or needs further explanation to use, product videos can be extremely useful for people to learn how to use your service properly. Additionally, this is a perfect opportunity to showcase some customer case studies by presenting videos that feature real customers who have used and benefited from your product or service. This way, people can see the voices and faces behind what you’re selling.
3) Spacing and layout — Although it seems silly, the spacing and layout of your website is actually one of the most important things you should dedicate your efforts to. Making sure that there is enough whitespace and contrasting colors to make your text and call to action button stand out on the page is key to making sure you get the clicks you need. Leverage the actual design of the page to your benefit.
4) Keep it simple — The last thing you’d want as an online user yourself is to come across a business or product that you find interesting, only to find that their web page is a mess. Don’t clutter your website page with complicated navigation toolbars, too many designs or words, and broken links. Keep your web design clean and simple so that it’s easy for people to navigate and find the information they’re looking for.
Now that we’ve walked through some of the key aspects of good website design, it’s time to talk about when you need to give it a makeover.
Picture this: You’re a business owner with great contacts in your industry, amazing customer relations and communication skills, a great staff and company culture, but something’s missing — Your website is not converting as many people as you thought. Maybe your web design seems relatively good, but you’re not seeing the lead generation or movement in the sales funnel that you were expecting. It’s probably time to consider a redesign.
Generally speaking, websites should go through a major redesign every 1.5-3 years, depending on the functions and goals of your website, and how well it is achieving those goals. Let’s say your primary goal is to increase the number of sales made through your website, but you notice that you have an increasingly high bounce rate. This probably means that something about your website is off that can be optimized to keep people from leaving once they’ve clicked onto your page.
Let’s discuss a few signs that may answer “is it time to redesign your website”:
Your website doesn’t work properly:
If your website is full of old, broken links, or leads people to pages that no longer exist, you may need to upgrade your site to make sure that you’re leading potential customers to the most relevant information that you have to offer. Doing so will reduce the bounce rate, as people will stay engaged with the content they were looking for when they came to your site in the first place.
Your website loads at low speed:
As the digital world continues to advance, it’s more important than ever to offer high speed on your website. A study from Yottaa shows that low speeds can turn up to 80% of users away for good, meaning they won’t return to your site if they find that it’s too slow. Optimizing your web page speed can minimize an extra barrier to a potential customer converting on your website.
Your values are misaligned or outdated:
If the values reflected on your website are no longer fully aligned with that of which your company holds to be true, it’s time for an update. Because your website is often one of the first interactions that potential customers will have with your business, it’s a good idea to make sure that it represents the mission and heart of your company.
Your content marketing strategy is not optimized to its fullest potential:
For best results, you should make sure that your website content is aligned with SEO and SEM strategies that will get your pages high rankings. By optimizing your website content and search engine optimization strategy, you can make sure that qualified leads who are in search of the services and products can find you on search engines like Google.
You’re not generating as many leads as you’d like:
Websites can be a great source for lead generation for many businesses. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to utilize lead generation strategies like landing pages and can lead to other strategies like email marketing or social media lead generation. However, if you’re not attaining the number of leads you thought you would, or your strategy seems ineffective, you should redesign your website. Look at each aspect of your pages through a critical lens and evaluate what is contributing towards your goals and what isn’t.
You can also pair outward observations with your marketing effectiveness metrics, which is why it’s always important to measure and periodically reflect on your numbers so that you can make sure your business is on track to reach its goals. You can read more about how to design a website specifically to drive conversions in this blog post.
Now that you can answer “is it time to redesign your website,” it’s time to make the decision to make it happen. Following these best practices will help you increase your online presence, increase your visibility in search results, and can help you achieve your business goals. Need help with web design services to take your website to the next level or with creating website conversion rate optimization strategies that actually work and bring in new, quality leads?
At Lift Digital Marketing, we provide a variety of services that will give you the tools you need to increase your lead generation and execute effective marketing strategies that are geared toward your marketing goals. Let’s have a conversation to get you started on your journey to redesigning your website for optimal results.
