How can you tell if your company website is due for a new site or a redesign? Here are my top 10 criteria.
1. Your site looks old and outdated
Your website is your storefront, your office on the internet. If it were an office or store, would you go in? It doesn’t matter what your business looks like – you can be working out of your home office or have prime office space, no one can see you. It’s all in the perception. A great website shows the world that you are serious about your business and are committed to providing the most up-to-date products and services.
I’m looking for something that looks like it is still in business. I often see sites that look like they went out of business years ago and just forgot to take down the site. Nothing says neglect like an old-fashioned website. If your website is more than 2-3 years old and has not been updated (or redesigned) you likely have a dinosaur. You’ll need a new site.
Conversely, if your site is only a few years old but not as chic as the newer ones, update for you.
2. Your site looks like an amateur made it
If your site was created by yourself, a friend, a non-professional and looks it – I’m talking to you.
Never skimp on your marketing and that includes your branding. Whether it is an e-commerce, monetized blog, or company website, a professional designer is worth every penny. You have a business to run. Do what you do best and hire specialists for the things you don’t. I know it is tempting because it looks so easy in ad videos, but I have seen very few that come out right.
3. Your site is on a platform or service with a high monthly fee and if you leave it, you lose your site
You need to own and be able to control your own site with your own hosting plan. Now the site is yours. You don’t have to pay monthly for it (if you take out an extended hosting plan – recommended) and you have full control of where it is hosted, what themes you can use, and the functionality it has.
4. Your competition has much nicer sites that put yours to shame
Do a google search for other similar businesses on the web. Look at their sites. Does your look as good? Does yours make you feel embarrassed or jealous? Then it’s time for a new site.
5. Your site is not user-friendly
· Is the print large enough?
· Is it Responsive (looks good on all size devices)?
· Does it make it easy for prospective clients/customers to contact you?
· Is it easy to navigate and to find the most relevant information?
· Do you have updated articles and videos?
· Is it easy and straightforward to make a purchase?
If your site is not very user-friendly, visitors will leave quickly. If you only need a few small changes and are already using a good content management system, you might just need an update. If there are a lot of things that need to be changed, you’re best off starting over. You’ll be happier with the results.
6. Your content is not engaging and properly explanatory
Do you have a lot of old fashioned, wordy, endlessly boring explanations of every service you offer and how it works? Today’s websites give information that users want and need. If they want an in-depth explanation, they can hire you. Your website should be informative but concise. Your blog articles are where you can and should get a bit more in-depth on a topic. If most of your content needs to be redone and you don’t really love your site, go for a new one.
7. Your site is absurdly slow
If your site is slow to load, visitors will leave quickly. When a site loads slowly it may appear that it is broken or gone. Attention spans are short and there are so many other businesses like yours, users will choose another if your site is too slow. There are many factors contributing to site speed which is why working with a professional can really be worth it. You may not need a new site if speed is the only issue. There are many ways to optimize a site and often hosting plays a big part as well.
8. Your site has not been well-maintained and now gets a lot of spam mail and comments or gets hijacked to an unsavory site
Sometimes it is worth repairing the issue but if the problem is very bad it’s time for a new website. Outdated themes and plugins, infections and deprecated code can happen when a site is old or not maintained regularly. Don’t be fooled, fixing an infected or unmaintained website can often cost more and take longer than buying a new one.
9. Your focus, services, products, or other information has changed
If you have changed the focus of your business, the products or services you offer or want to promote different things you should probably start with a new site. If you like what you have but just want a little rebranding and a few minor changes then you just need a redesign and update.
10. You don’t have a website
If you don’t have one, you need one. Enough said. I don’t care who recommended a professional to me, if I look for them on the web and they don’t have a website, I worry that they are not legitimate and that I can’t trust them. Legitimize your business online because there is a virtual world that exists in cyberspace and everyone is plugged in.
So, now you have a quick way to evaluate whether you need to think about either a new website or a serious redesign of the one you have. Don’t turn off potential customers. Everyone is looking for you on the web so make sure your online appearance encourages them to trust your quality of service or products.
Want a free quick evaluation and/or price quote? We have options for all budgets.
If you are ready for a new design or even a redesign, contact us at (561) 715-3115
