Top 10 Signs You Need a Website Redesign

• Your Website Takes FOREVER to Load

Web users, including you. We’ll bet, are used to websites that load in the blink of an eye. How did your website do? Did you see the little spinning wheel of terror? Did images take a long time to load, bit by bit? Were you frustrated at how slow it was and wondered if something was wrong with your internet?

If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, you need some serious updating. Why?
Because Google takes page load speed seriously. It’s one of their biggest factors in determining if your website provides a good user experience (UX.) Slow websites get bumped down further in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

An indication your site is horribly slow is if there’s a big increase in your bounce rate. That’s because a majority of users will abandon a website if it doesn’t load in 3 seconds. How fast (or slow) does your website load? Use the Google site speed tool.

• The Look and Content Are Outdated

Web design has come a long way over the years. Any website built more than 5 years ago may have a clunky, out of date look and feel to it. This is especially true if you used a free website builder to create it.

Another thing to look for is if your content is outdated. Do you have product and services listed that you no longer provide? Have you changed locations but your website still refers to your previous location? Does your About page list employees who no longer work there?
If your website looks outdated and the content is no longer accurate, you need some major updates to your web design, and maybe a full website redesign.

• You Can’t Make Updates

We just talked about outdated content. If you or an employee are having trouble making simple updates like adding a blog post or updating a product description or adding a new image, or if you have to get a 3rd party to make those updates, you may be ready for a website redesign.
Website platforms such as WordPress make it easy to add new content and delete other content. Just be sure you keep up with WordPress maintenance.

• Your Website Isn’t Mobile Friendly

This is another big issue with websites built more than 5 years ago. They’re not mobile-friendly. And in Google’s book, that’s almost a mortal sin. How mobile friendly is your website? Take the mobile-friendly test.

Up until this point, we’ve talked about Google and mobile friendly. But prospective clients are even more important. With more and more people using mobile search, it’s important that you provide them with a website that looks good on all devices.
No one wants to swipe, pinch, and expand your website on a mobile phone. In fact, according to Google, if your web design isn’t mobile friendly, visitors are 5x more likely to leave and go to a competitor’s site. Whoops.

By making sure your website redesign utilizes responsive web design, you automatically have a mobile friendly website. Ta dah!

• Your Website Isn’t Secure

By this, we mean that your website uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). Look up at the search bar on this page and you’ll see a little padlock symbol. That means our website is secure.

Try searching for and visiting your own website again. Does it say Not Secure in the search box? Is there a danger triangle symbol? Does Google throw up a warning to go back to safety? That’s the last thing you want. If users feel insecure visiting your site, they will leave and go to a competitor.

Again, it’s time to update your website to be secure.

• Your Website Is Complicated and Hard to Navigate

If your website has a huge number of pages that visitors never go to, or it’s hard to figure out where to find information about your services or product specifications, you may need a website redesign. A redesign can streamline things, combine pages, delete others altogether, and create clear and easy to use navigation bars.
Making your website easy to use provides a better user experience, and encourages site visitors to stay longer.

• You’re Not Harnessing the Power of SEO

Another sign you may need a website redesign is if you’re not taking advantage of the power of SEO (search engine optimization). It’s much easier to implement an SEO strategy on a new, mobile-friendly website with a good content management system.
It can be more costly to try and implement SEO in an existing, older site, because it can be more labor intensive due to the web platform and other factors.

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• It Has Lots of Technical Issues

An older website is sort of like an older car. The older it gets, the more technical problems you’ll run into. And depending on what platform you use, or if the website builder you used to build your website has gone out of business, you may be spending more time on fixing issues than you do on adding new content.

And if you don’t know how to fix the issues yourself, you need to hire someone to do it. Sometimes, it’s better and more cost effective to upgrade with a website redesign.

• You’ve Rebranded

Some brands use the same logo and keep the same name with the same products and services for decades. Other brands go through a metamorphosis over the years. If you’ve recently rebranded, you DEFINITELY need a website redesign. Your website and all of your marketing materials need to reflect your brand as it is today – not what it was 3 years ago.

• All Your Competitors Have New Websites

OK, this last one is subjective. But go ahead. Check out your main competitor’s website(s). Do they look slick (attractive)? Is it easy to get around the site? Did it load in the blink of an eye? Is it easy to use on your phone?

Now think about your own website. Does it come up short when compared to your competitors? If you think so, prospective clients think the same. Most internet users judge you based on your website. If you’re not making a good impression because your site is slow and hard to use, they’ll head on over to a competitor’s website in a heartbeat.

Schedule a Website Redesign Consultation Today

If your website needs an overhaul for one or more of the above reasons, we can help. We offer affordable website design services along with local SEO services. By redesigning your website with SEO in mind, your new website will be a double threat to your competitors.
Since the majority of people go online to research companies before buying their products or scheduling their services, it’s important that your website looks good, loads fast, is easy to use, and easy for people to find.

To schedule a consultation, use the contact form or call 410-420-9390 today. We work with small businesses from all over, with a focus on central Maryland.