First impressions count. Whether personal or professional, we all know a first impression can make or break a potential lasting relationship. The same concept goes for your website. In most cases, your website is the first impression a potential prospect or client will have on your business. With 75% of online users admitting to making judgments on a company’s credibility based on the design of their website, it’s imperative that your face to world presents itself in a manner that will leave a lasting impression.
When was the last time you really looked at your website and truly thought about how a new visitor to your website would feel about it? What would be the first thought that would come to their mind? More importantly, what would you want those thoughts to be? If you’re unimpressed when you look at your site, that’s a major red flag that its time for a website redesign. Check out 5 more signs below.
It’s Outdated
Websites have an average lifespan of about 2-3 years. Trends come and go, new technology and platforms are constantly arising and the competitive landscape increases daily. You can no longer afford to keep an outdated website and succeed against your competitors.
It’s Unusable
Today’s most powerful website requires a powerful Content Management System (CMS). If your site isn’t supported by a secure and flexible CMS, it cannot be run the way it needs to. Marketers are required to crank more content than ever before, and if site contributors are unable to make quick changes without the help of your IT department, you’re missing opportunities to drive traffic and generate leads.
It’s Not Optimized
If users can’t find your website when they enter a relevant search query, your business is basically nonexistent in the Internet world. You’re also missing out on opportunities to generate new business. If you don’t already have an SEO strategy in place, a redesign is a great reason to start — just make sure to follow these tips so you don’t lose all your site traffic once it’s launched!
It’s Not Responsive
As of April 2015, responsive design is no longer a luxury for corporate websites. Google has now required it, as it is now a factor that determines whether or not your site will be visible in search engines. Beyond Google, 52 percent of users said they would be less likely to engage with a company if the mobile experience on their site was bad. Using a flexible CMS – such as WordPress – your web developer can ensure every piece of content published can be accessed and easily digested by readers regardless of the viewing device they prefer.
It’s Slow
It’s no secret that our online users are a tough crowd to please. According to Econstultancy, 40 percent of people will abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. With the limited patience of web users, a slow loading site can damage more than just your company’s credibility. When users abandon your site and head back to the search engine, it sends a signal that your site didn’t satisfy the users needs and in turn will cause damage to your rankings.
It’s easy to get comfortable with the way your website looks, feels and performs. If it’s working and driving traffic, there must be nothing wrong with it, right? Wrong. There are other companies who do just what you do and target some of the same users you do. And if they are actively thinking about what their website says about them, it may be tempting your ideal users over to their site. If you’re in need of a website redesign, contact us today.
