Web Woes: 8 Reasons Why Your Website Needs a Redesign

Web design is becoming increasingly important to the success of web site because of SEO reasons and customers simply demand more. Click here to get 8 reasons why you need a website revamp.

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The world is around us is changing at an accelerating pace. Car models change every year.

Clothing labels release new designs every season. Technology is at the forefront of the changing trends. The digital world is moving forward at a rapid pace. To stay relevant and in touch, your company needs to keep up with the changing times. A website revamp should be the first thing you look at.

Whether you're an artist or a zoologist, you need a presence on the internet to be fully productive. Your website is your first point of contact with the world at large, and you must be up to date or be left behind. Here are eight good reasons why you should revamp your website:

1. Mobile Friendliness

If you often get comments like, "Your website won't load on my phone!", it's time to go back to the drawing board. These days, users tend to access the internet on their mobile devices. If your website isn't configured to be accessible via those devices, you are missing out on a large user base.

Your website should be accessible across a wide range of devices and platforms.

Learn more about good web design and how to make your site mobile responsive.

2. Branding Considerations

Branding is king in business. Is your brand message on point? Visitors to your site should understand what your business is about and what they can expect. Your strategy when you started your business has probably changed. Your website should reflect this. Your website should be up-to-date.

Make it easy-to-read and communicate your message clearly and concisely. Choose words carefully and vet out anything that seems unnecessary. Less is more. Your brand strategy changes with time. You need to update the branding message and mission statement too.

3. Interactivity

What experience do you want visitors to have on your website? Are they able to post comments and messages? Interactive websites give visitors the feeling of being involved and valued. They also keep you in touch with what visitors expect and help you change with the times.

The customer is king. What they experience on your site will determine what happens to your business. Visitors to your site want to feel appreciated. Having a real-time interactive experience make them feel valued and appreciated.

Give users a variety of options and make it possible for them to communicate with you. Ask them to rate their experience and make suggestions. This also helps the business owner adjust accordingly.

4. Design Trends

If your website is more than 4 years old, it's time to think about revamping it. 4 years is a very long time in today's digital world. Some features that were cutting-edge just last year might not work now, or slow down loading times. Research and innovation continue to develop new trends. An outdated website can be a big liability to your business.

Websites need constant updates and maintenance to stay competitive. Is your Content Management System efficient and up-to-date?

Most high-end stores revamp their storefronts annually. Your website is your online storefront and should be treated as such. Nobody is likely to shop in a store that is dark and dusty, with surly, unhelpful staff. Products are piled haphazardly on the shelves and price tags obscured or missing. Checkout counters are located at the back and the barcode scanner doesn't work. You get the picture. Make sure your

website is attractive, up-to-date and functional.

5. SEO Functionality and Security

Your website MUST be SEO optimized. There are no two ways about it. Where are you on Google? If you can't be found on the first page of a search, you might as well not exist. It's a site eat site world out there and more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon every day.

Your digital footprint must be as large as possible. An annual audit on Google Analytics is good practice.

Security is vital. Google is now ranking websites without SSL Certification lower in search results. Users want to know that they are safe when visiting your site. SEO needs to be on your list of things to do when revamping your site.

Your team needs to make sure the site is prepped for Google's crawlers.

6. Looks Are Everything

While it's relatively easy to create your own website, it may be wiser to in invest in professional design. The saying in business is: Cheap is Expensive. Keeping up with the latest trends is vital in today's hyper-competitive world. Investing in a professionally designed and maintained site is vital for your business.

7. User-friendliness

Your website should be easy to use and understand. A site that takes ages to load and confusing language and/or links will turn visitors off. This could cause you to lose business or contacts. Keeping it clear, simple and friendly improves visitor experience and builds your business.

Update information and links constantly. Pages that take more than

3 seconds to load are a turn-off and could lead visitors to bounce to a competitor. Make your site easy to understand and navigate. Visitors are unlikely to return to a site where they've had a bad experience.

8. Revamp or Die or "Keeping Up With the Joneses."

A good way to rank your website is to check out what the competition is up to. Check out their site's content and functionality. Have they added a shopping cart to their site? Is their SEO better? More pictures? Do the same! If it seems to work for others, why shouldn't it work for you? The opposite also applies; if their website is cluttered and confusing, simplify yours. Don't make a carbon copy, of course, but take what seems to work and improve on it. Aim to always outshine your competitors.

Do You Need A Website Revamp?

Your website is your online ambassador. It represents you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and should perform the job it was intended for. It could be a fun site that you use to communicate with your friends and family or a business page. Regardless, if your site's a little dated, you need to consider a website revamp.

Does it serve its purpose? In these digital times, what you put on the internet makes all the difference to your business. A good, professional design must be a top consideration in decision making.

Our newsletter helps break down how to create a great site that's up-to-date and SEO optimized. In the long run, your website should be visible, attractive and useful.