It is hard to believe, but the World Wide Web has been with us for more than 20 years. From humble beginnings, the web is now an integral part of our daily lives and presents huge marketing opportunities for businesses large and small around the world.
But it is no longer enough to simply have a website for your business; you need a good website which presents your business in a positive manner, is easy to find, and offers visitors the information they seek.
If your website is simply sitting there and is not an active part of your company’s marketing efforts, it may be time for a redesign. Here are some reasons why.
Visitors to your site are not becoming customers
Here’s an example of a disturbing trend: Fewer and fewer visitors are coming to the website you spent good money on to build a couple of years ago. Even worse, those who do visit are leaving almost as soon as they arrive, without moving past your home page, and you can forget about anyone actually heeding a call to action. It’s almost enough to make a business owner question the value of even having a web presence.
There are several likely reasons for this scenario. Your search engine optimization could be inadequate — or worse, nonexistent — so Google, Bing, Yahoo, and the rest simply aren’t finding your site easily — and neither are your potential customers. If a potential customer does find your site, is the design engaging enough to pique — and hold — their interest? In general, two seconds is all the time you have before someone decides whether to investigate your site further, or click somewhere else. And finally, does your site present the information your prospective customers want, in a way that is easy to navigate? If a potential customer can’t quickly and easily find the information she needs on your site, you can bet she will quickly look elsewhere.
In short, if you are finding that your website isn’t bringing in customers to your business, it may be time to consider a redesign or rethink your web strategy.
Your site is outdated, technologically and/or visually
When your small business got it’s first website, it was a technological marvel. The designers and developers threw in Flash animations, blink tags, and all kinds of gee-whiz gadgets that made the most of current technology. It was great!
But as we all know, technology doesn’t stand still. We now enjoy capabilities with design, usability, and mobility which were undreamed of just a few years ago. On the other hand, what rocked the world a few years ago might now be unwieldy, if not flat-out obsolete. That fancy Flash site can’t be seen on an iPhone or an iPad. A site that looks great on a desktop computer is essentially unreadable on a mobile phone. Designs which were “cutting edge” back in the day now look tired and dated.
Your company’s website is quite often the first impression your business makes on a potential customer. If yours isn’t grabbing a visitor’s attention with an engaging design, or (even worse) if your site doesn’t work across browsers or on mobile devices because of the underlying tech, it is probably time for a redesign.
Your site is difficult (or impossible) for you to update
There was a time when web designers and developers held all the cards when it came to making even the smallest updates on a website. Few, if any, small business owners had the time or desire to learn the intricacies of HTML themselves (and most didn’t have anyone on staff to handle it, either). Hence, anytime a change was needed on a site, a call went out to the developer, who would cheerfully — and rather expensively — make the requested changes.
These days, however, the balance of power has shifted. Platforms such as WordPress and other content management systems are democratizing the web, making it easy for site owners to manage and update their sites (and helping them keep more money in their pockets). As I like to tell our clients, “If you can use a word processor, you can manage your site with WordPress.” If you are still calling your web designer every time you need to make a change on your site, you probably want to consider a redesign.
Your business is changing
Successful businesses grow and change over time. They develop new products, move into new facilities, change logos and branding, and offer new services. As your business grows and expands, your web presence should as well.
If you are considering a significant change to your business, or if you have already made changes and your website does not reflect those changes, you may want to consider a redesign.
Of course, here at Deluxe Interactive Services, we work with clients to improve the look and functionality of their sites through re-skins and WordPress conversions. If you think it is time to give your site a makeover — either through cosmetic changes or an entire rebuild — contact us, and we will be happy to work with you on a redesign.