You may have a great site, well designed to the small bits of it. As your investment on the web, you need to make it stand out, expecting it to make impressive ROI from it. But web designers have suggested that you should do a web redesign, saying that your online presence and reputation is depending on it. What should you do?
Putting a site online can be an easy work for some. But maintaining it to be well, and keeping it at its top performance can be tricky. You may have invested your time and money to create one. But imagining yourself putting in more cash and time, especially when the site hasn't yet meet your expectations, is not something you want.
There are times that a great website isn't as good as it seems. To know more about your website, you need to dig in deeper than just seeing the interface you're used to.
Below is a list of common reasons why you should have your website redesigned.
Outdated Technology
The internet is evolving. It's growing at a fast rate than yesterday's tech can be today's history. Behind each and every websites is a technology that powers it. The technology manages your website, and affects its performance and efficiency.
To know whether your website's technology is up-to-date or outdated, you need to know several technical terms that runs your website. From the server, the programming language, the database type, the security, and some other things.
With outdated technology powering your website, your site can be prone to hacking. Furthermore, you site has less features if compared to competitors that follow the current trends. This is potentially dangerous to your reputation.
Technology changes very fast. In the current fast pace world, 1 year translates into 4 internet years.
Not Designed for Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are popular, and that popularity drives most of the web's traffic. By knowing how your website was designed, you will know whether you site is mobile-friendly or not.
If your website is purposely built years ago, or before mobile internet has come to a bloom, then you're certainly behind the current technology in terms of internet years. With outdated ways of web designing, you'll miss most of the traffic because your site is not able to render well on mobile devices.
Most people need just a fraction of a second to decide whether they want to stay on your site or not. If your website is not mobile-friendly, or loads longer than expected, the chances that people will leave your website before even it finishes loading, is high.
As more and more people access the web from mobile devices, the higher the conversion rates among tablets and smartphone users when compared to desktop users. Mobile users that are on-the-go, likes to access websites that are both fast and reliable. Desktop websites can look awkward on mobile with its navigation too small to click or the layout messed up.
If you do not wish to have responsive design because of your own purpose, you need to make a mobile site that loads when your visitor is accessing your site from their mobile device.
Consumed by Time
Your website, once it's online, will be there as long as it's hosted. However, time changes trends. You may have compelling web design that represents your business, but does it match your current state and trends?
Before tempting to redesign your website, you must see whether the information on your site is updated to the latest. You website is the first official gate toward your business identity on the web. If the information is outdated, like for example, your contact number is no longer active, the chances that you'll miss sales are very high.
As an addition, you should see whether your website's design is matching the current trends. Beside being mobile friendly, modern websites are cleaner and simpler that websites that are designed long before. Your website's design is a reflection of what your business and products are all about, what values they convey, as well as the quality of your offerings.
Your overall web design is subconsciously submitted to emotional judgement. If your visitor sees your website's outdated design, they will perceive you to be the same.
You need to make all your contents updated to the current, fresh along with the current trends, compelling and unforgettable. All depends on the niche and products/services you offer.
Yesterday's User Experience and Interface
Your website needs to have a character on its own. The character is what will distinguish it from others in the competition. A character here means: how your website can communicate with your visitors by words, links, colors, and design elements, all without saying a word.
To do this, you website should give a user experience that is similar to others so people will understand, but different so people will see it as something unique.
As a method to see how your website's user experience appeals to your visitors, you need to become a visitor to your own site. Try stepping on their shoes to see how your website truly is.
The most common things to do is to observe your website's interface: the placement of logo and navigation. Are they correctly placed and not interfering with other elements of design? Are they clickable and have no dead links? The next thing to see is the contact page. Is it updated to the current? Does it explain your business in words that are easy to understand? Next is to see the elements of design. Are they all matching to a single piece of design or does it feel fragmented?
The list will go on depending on the complexity of your website. But the main reason for this is to ensure professionalism even to the smallest bits. Your website's functionality and features that blends well with web design is what creates a great user experience.
Conclusion
There are many other things you can do to evaluate your website before it's redesigned. Though not necessarily technical, there can be a lot of factors to determine whether your site needs a refreshed look or not.
You website, when it's online, it's available on the internet for anyone to see. As something placed on a very fast developing environment, the last thing you want is an outdated site that isn't representing you the way it should be. A professional help can come in handy if you want to know some of the ideas to implement.
A website redesign could translate to a few changes in functionality, or an entire overhaul. Either way, it will be for the better.
Further reading: Approaches to Updating a Web Design