Signs It is Time to Redesign Your Website

I was at a conference this fall and heard the saying “You’ll get sick of your website well before your clients ever will.” It was something I hadn’t thought about but made a lot of sense. No one is closer to your business than you are and no one spends more time in your business than you do. Plus, if you are like me, you are your own harshest critic. So the first time that that voice in your head is saying “I need to redesign my website,” you can probably ignore it. However, there are times that revising your web design makes sense to help your business. Here is how to tell the difference: 

Major Technology Changes

I discourage you from trying to keep up with every fad and trend that comes along. However, there are some things that are not fads, but rather the way of the future (and now). If your website falls into either (or both) technology items below that definitely let you know that you need an upgrade.

1. Not mobile responsive- Your website needs to be easy to use and attractive on mobile. Around half of all website visits take place on a mobile device, and that number is likely only increasing. You need to provide as great an experience on mobile as on desktop. If this isn’t happening, content is missing on your mobile site, or your visitors have to zoom and scroll to see anything large enough to read, you’ll want to look into a re-design. When mobile responsiveness was just starting, many designers would charge extra for that as a feature. Now, it should be standard with every website build (but ask just to make sure!). 
2. Flash usage- Some older websites use Flash for animation, including photos in a slideshow. However, Flash has quickly becoming an outdated technology for the web. Flash has never been supported on Apple mobile devices, and Google Chrome will stop supporting Flash come December of 2020. JavaScript has quickly replaced Flash for animations and interactivity. It is better supported across the board and provides better security. 

A Change in Your Ideal Client

If your ideal client changes, it may necessitate a change to your brand. Take a planner designer for example, if a planner designer went from creating appointment books for accountants to lesson plan books for kindergarten teachers, their brand and website will need to change to speak to their new client. Think about the differences between your former ideal client and your new ideal client and how they present themselves. Sometimes some content changes are all that are needed, but sometimes a visual brand shift can speak to your ideal client better. 

A Change in the Services You Offer

This one is a little less certain as to whether you need to change your design, but it should at least be a consideration. Depending on how big of a change in services you offer, your messaging will definitely change and your design may need to as well. For example, if you go from selling group programs to one to one coaching, your strategy and messaging will certainly change and it is likely a good time to revisit design to make sure that your website will still convert. Don’t forget that in addition to the fact that your services page will need to change, you’ll also want to adjust your home page and possibly your other pages, depending on how tailored they are to your services. Finally, an updated design will also better allow you to signal to people that your offerings have changed and encourage them to look around a bit more. 

A Change in Your Price Point

This is very similar to a change in an ideal client, but instead of a different industry it can be a different level within the same industry. If you are starting to charge premium prices, you’ll likely need to elevate your brand and website in order to better portray your value and professionalism. Your website is the first impression of your business for many people. If you want to be viewed as an expert, your website needs to help establish you as an expert. Both copy and design changes can help to elevate your brand and help you grow. 

A Number of Years Have Passed Since Your Last Redesign

I know that I said that you should avoid keeping up with all of the trends, and this is absolutely true, you shouldn’t be changing your branding and design all the time. However, you also want to stay modern. Design patterns change and evolve just as technology does. It’s a good idea to update your design about every 3-5 years, just to make sure that people still relate you to the current decade. This doesn’t have to be a major change, just an update to demonstrate to your clients that you are staying current. This will also help you ensure that you are staying on top of those technology changes like mobile responsiveness. Finally, by updating every few years, you’ll also benefit from technological advances that provide better security, site speed and features that weren’t available then your site was first created that can help with user experience, search engine optimization and make your website easier to maintain.  

You want to add an e-commerce store, learning platform or membership component

If your site is on WordPress and was built fairly recently, you can likely add an e-commerce store or a membership component to your site as it is. However, to increase conversions and sales, you’ll likely need to do some sort of redesign to ensure that you are meeting your new goals. When you just add a major component, but don’t direct visitors to these portions and let people know they exist, your sales will not be where they should or could be. You’ll likely need to redesign your homepage and add transitions that link to the new portions of the site in your content on other pages.

Your Business Goals or Marketing Tactics Change

Your website should be focused on facilitating your goals for your business. Therefore, when your goals change, you’ll want to look at making a design change/update. When I am designing a website, I look at your business goals and make sure that the website works for you to help you reach your goals. By looking at goals, we can make sure that the website speaks to your ideal client, meets their needs and helps you get to where you want to go in your business. 

While there are plenty of times that a website redesign isn’t necessary, there are times that it can help your business. This can be a tough decision to make, but if one or more of the points above apply to you, a redesign can help to move your business forward. Ready to move forward on a redesign or want to talk over your business goals to see if it is a good idea? Book your free consultation call today and we can work together to see if a redesign makes sense for your business.