Commissioning a website redesign can be a daunting task, especially when you just had to go through all of that a few years ago. You may be putting it off due to the money and the time it will take to build a new site, but a web redesign can be a very wise investment.
When you think about it, how often do you see a big, successful company with a poorly designed website that is unattractive to visitors?
Not very often, right?
Unfortunately for small and medium-sized businesses though, this is not always the case.
A common misconception that small business owners have about business websites is that they are not as important for their business as they are for all of the major brands and large companies out there.
In reality, professional web design and a professionally-maintained website are essential for the long-standing success of businesses and brands of all sizes and in all industries.
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How Do I Know It's (Finally) Time To Redesign My Business Website?
Your website is the online face of your company to the public. It is important that your site always reflects your website’s core values in a well designed, professional way. Sometimes a website that has been successful in the past needs to adapt to a changing business world. The following are a few common indicators that it is time for you to reevaluate your website design.
1) The visual appearance of your website is outdated.
One of the biggest turn offs for new potential customers is when they visit your site and immediately feel like they found their way into a time capsule.
Trends are always changing, but it is important to know your brand and make sure that it is consistently represented in every medium, especially your website.
While you want to let your brand’s style guide direct your design choices, that should not limit your online visual elements.
It is a good idea to regularly ask someone who has a fresh pair of eyes to take a look at your site and offer feedback in comparison with other websites.
One popular design mistake is to overload your homepage and other landing pages with a pile of text. Keeping your text simple, concise and integrated with visual content will greatly enhance your site’s appearance.
2) Your website is not mobile-friendly.
There is no way that your company can reach its full potential without being compatible with mobile.
More and more consumers are making purchasing decisions on their smartphones and other mobile devices and this trend is likely to only increase.
In fact, 1 out of 4 internet users in the United States are accessing the web from some type of mobile device.
Sometimes a website that is fully functional and well designed for a desktop view, does not necessarily work on mobile.
Be sure to always check and make sure that your images are optimized for a smaller phone sized screen. Load times are sometimes drastically different on a phone versus a computer, so make sure to adjust the size of your data to have a fast response time for all devices.
3) Your search engine rankings are low.
Sometimes it can seem difficult to optimize your website effectively so that you can rank high on google searches and other search engines.
If you think about it, can you remember the last time you clicked past the first page of Google search results? Most consumers cannot.
If you find that your site is constantly ranking low, it might be time for a website redesign. Incorporating keywords in titles and content will help search engines to recognize your website and categorize it.
Linking to outside sources that are popular for your target public will also help you be found.
Search engine optimization can seem difficult at first, but do not become discouraged. LOJO has trained specialists that can provide assistance to ensure that you are not missing out on opportunities and they will help you to optimize your website for the best search engine results.
How Does Web Design Play a Part in my Marketing Efforts?
Did you know that web design, in particular, is a key element of successful marketing efforts as well?
A quality website that truly resonates with visitors and drives marketing efforts is not something that can be slapped together in a few easy steps, or even assembled on a make-your-own-website platform either.
A positive experience for the user is all about web design
When you get right down to it, digital marketing efforts for your business depend largely on whether or not you have a web design that resonates with your visitors and customers.
Your web design should reflect your business.
In order to have your website act as a vital component of your marketing strategy, it needs to accurately reflect and represent your brand, because much of the time your website is the very first interaction a potential customer will have with your business.
If your business is operating with an out-of-date website that confuses your readers and isn’t easily accessible on mobile devices, for example, the ability to successfully market your company online drops substantially.
An effective website gets things done.
Your website is the central hub for your business. Sometimes it is the first impression that your potential customers have of your company and they are looking for ways to determine your credibility.
For these reasons, it is vital that your website an effective tool, both for you and your customers.
Remember: your website is your primary online marketing tool and there are several reasons why you should consider hiring a Sacramento web design company to redesign your site.
10 Reasons Why Your Business May Need a Website Redesign
Consider evaluating these criteria periodically to determine if it might be time to give your website a fresh new look and feel. Here are a few reasons for you to seriously consider a website redesign:
1. You are not getting the results you want
Your website should exist to build your customer base. If your data is showing that your website is not progressing towards conversion and bounce rate goals, then it is time for a redesign.
Ask yourself, does my call-to-action inspire visitors to become customers?
Go through your website and consider: is the content focused on the customer or my business? Customers want to see and read things about themselves, so they feel like they can relate to your business first.
Help them to care first, before just telling them details about your company.
2. Your company has gone through a bit of rebranding
As your company evolves and changes, so does the purpose of your website.
If your business has undergone rebranding, then you will definitely need to redesign your website and your other marketing materials. Rebranding isn’t just about a new logo and colors; remember that you want your business as a whole to convey the same message, so don’t forget your website when rebranding.
It is important to always align your website design with your most updated marketing strategy. This does not always call for a complete redesign, but key adjustments may be necessary.
3. Your site needs to be more user-friendly
If your visitors have a hard time finding their way around your website, they will leave right away and won’t be inclined to come back.
The percentage of people who visit your website and click away after viewing only one page is known as your bounce rate. Your goal is to strive for as low a bounce rate as you can possibly get.
Your website should have simple (but relevant and helpful) features that quickly engage people and keep them within your site.
Functionality should be a major focus of your website design. If your important content or contact information is difficult to navigate to, you could be losing traffic. Strive for a simply clean design.
You can use Google Analytics to monitor your bounce rate and if it is already high or steadily increasing, you will want to take time to figure out why people are leaving so quickly.
4. Your site is not responsive
If your website was designed a while back (i.e. several years ago), your web designer might not have optimized for mobile. Maybe you could get away with it then, but in today’s world, a mobile-friendly website is a must.
Statistics show that more and more people now view website on a mobile platform.
- 75% of smartphone Internet users prefer a mobile friendly site but not all businesses provide their customers with the mobile website experience.
- About 60% of internet searches are now done by mobile devices.
- According to CMS Report, average mobile conversion rates are up 64% compared to average desktop rates.
Your customers are becoming more and more mobile and so should your website. If your website is not mobile friendly, you might be missing out on a lot of business. Mobile definitely is the trend and your website cannot afford to ignore it.
Hiring a web design company to redesign your site and make it responsive so it can be viewed on a wide variety of devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones is the best investment you will make.
When you incorporate responsive Sacramento web design into your new website, you’ll be able to reach a larger audience than you normally would with a site that is not very mobile friendly.
5. You're looking to add new functions to your business website
If you are looking into adding a new functionality to your site such as a blog, or an ecommerce platform, it is a better idea to redesign your website.
This way everything will flow seamlessly throughout the website and it won’t look like the new addition was a last minute thought.
Strategic use of content can greatly improve your site results. An active blog, a downloads section, a photo or video gallery are all great examples of using content to improve your website.
Customer retention, SEO, and conversion rates can all increase if great content is more readily available. Especially if you decide to produce more posts, make sure that your site is equipped to effectively host your content.
6. You need to keep up with your competitors
If your competitors are making changes that significantly alter their search engine rankings, consequently having a negative impact on your own rankings, it is time to reevaluate.
Compared to your competitors, where do you rank in search engine results?
There are many factors that play into optimizing your website to increase your search engine rank. One simple way is to include keywords that you know your target audience is searching for. Think about keywords in the language that your audience uses, rather than technical or professional jargon.
Analyze what you are lacking compared to your competitors’ sites, or what could be improved.
7. Your third-party tools need to be updated
Third-party tools or widgets can be great assets to improve website functionality. However, if these tools have not been updated in a while, they might be outdated or slowing down your site speed. Make sure that all tools still enhance your visitors’ experience.
8. You need to incorporate social media
In today’s social media world, your website should be a hub of access to all your social profiles.
Maybe when you originally created your website you did not even have a presence on social media. Hopefully, that has changed and so should your website.
Not featuring social media on your website makes your web design outdated and puts you behind your competition. Adding links to your social media profiles is great, but step it up a notch by making it easier for visitors to share, tweet, etc. your content directly from your website.
Make sure that your content is optimized for social engagement. You can add buttons for liking on sharing on a variety of social media platforms. This will also increase your search engine optimization as people engage with your company through multiple platforms.
9. You have a slow load time
As you add more content to your site keep track of how it affects your load time. The ideal load time is always changing, but about 4-5 seconds is generally average.
A good practice is to visit your competitors’ sites and comparing with their load times. Large file sizes, especially images, can drastically affect the speed, as well as external programs that you are running on your site.
If your site is lagging it might be turning away potential visitors. A convenient website that loads fast will significantly improve your users’ experience and increase results. Search engine rankings also go up when a website can load quickly and efficiently.
10. It is just time to shake things up
If the homepage on your site looks like it was created in a word processor, it is time for a redesign. This is an instant indicator of an outdated site and customers will make assumptions that your entire business is behind the times.
Simplify your messaging, and supplement it with professional grade photos and video content. This will give your site a fresh, modern look.
You should feel completely proud of your site and have 100% confidence in it. If your site feels tired or unexciting to you, chances are your visitors probably agree. A fresh design can be just the change you needed to stir some excitement and liven up your page.
What You (And Your Web Designer) Might Fix When Redesigning Your Business Website
Your website is the central hub for your business. Sometimes it is the first impression that your potential customers have of your company and they are looking for ways to determine your credibility. For these reasons, it is vital that your website an effective tool, both for you and your customers.
Consider evaluating these criteria periodically to determine if it might be time to redesign your website.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the percentage of people who visit your website and click away after viewing only one page.
You can use Google Analytics to monitor your bounce rate and if it is already high or steadily increasing, you will want to take time to figure out why people are leaving so quickly. Your website should have simple features that quickly engage people and draw them into your site.
Responsiveness
If your website was designed quite a while back, your web designer might not have optimized for mobile. Maybe you could get away with it then, but in today’s world mobile friendly is a must.
According to a recent report, about 60% of internet searches are now done by mobile devices. Mobile definitely is the trend and your website cannot afford to ignore it.
Your target audience
Who is your site for? Go through your website and consider: is the content focused on the customer or my business?
Customers want to see and read things about themselves, so they feel like they can relate to your business first. Help them to care first, before just telling them details about your company.
SEO with keywords
Where do you rank in search engine results? There are many factors that play into optimizing your website to increase your search engine rank.
One simple way is to include keywords that you know your target audience is searching for. Think about keywords in the language that your audience uses, rather than technical or professional jargon.
Text Heavy
If the homepage on your site looks like it was created in a word processor, it is time for a redesign.
This is an instant indicator of an outdated site and customers will make assumptions that your entire business is behind the times. Simplify your messaging, and supplement it with professional grade photos and video content. This will give your site a fresh, modern look.
Slow Load Time
As you add more content or functionality to your site keep track of how it affects your load time. Large file sizes, especially images, can drastically affect the speed, as well as external programs that you are running on your site.
The ideal load time is always changing, but about 4-5 seconds is generally average.
A good practice is to visit your competitors’ sites and comparing with their load times.
Connections To Your Social Accounts
Maybe when you originally created your website you did not even have a presence on social media. Hopefully, that has changed and so should your website. Make sure that your content is optimized for social engagement.
You can add buttons for liking on sharing on a variety of social media platforms. This will also increase your search engine optimization as people engage with your company through multiple platforms.
Let LOJO Take Care of Your Web Redesign Requirements
For a professional website, you need a professional Rocklin web design company.
Let’s take a closer look at the relationship between your web design and the marketing efforts of your business so you can see just how important web design is, starting with hiring a professional web design team.
Web design is a skill and expertise that requires knowledge of the craft, so if you want to produce a modern website that is in tune with your company goals and values, it’s always best to hire a professional web design team.
Our design and marketing teams here at LOJO can work with you to not just create a unique business website, but also to utilize the marketing power behind web design to increase your brand awareness and drive sales.
Additionally, professional web design for your site will get your business noticed in ways that a website-building service typically can’t, since the comprehensive approach that web designers like those at LOJO take to creating business websites is uniquely tailored to your needs and the needs of your customers.
Furthermore, when you partner with a professional online marketing company like LOJO your website will not only have the ability to grow as your business grows, but it will also be one of the main reasons why your business continues to be successful in the future.
When you’re ready to discuss how to improve or create a new web design for your company, our friendly staff would love to see how we can help so give us a call today!
A Final Word on Redesigning Your Website
Redesigning your website can be a very overwhelming task. Even if you just need a few adjustments and think that a new website will freshen things up, you should consider redesigning your website very 4 to 5 years.
Partnering with the right Sacramento web design company can make the process a lot easier, contact LOJO Group today to find out how we can help you redesign your website!
