Your business website is likely the first impression your audience will have of your company, and it is your responsibility to keep it at a high standard. Eventually, you will be faced with a redesign in order to adapt and stay relevant. The decision should not be taken lightly, as it requires an investment of time, money and thought. In order to make this decision confidently, here is a list of the most common reasons for undertaking a website redesign.
1. Outdated Technology
If it’s been 3 years or more since you redesigned or first built your website, the solutions that once were a good fit are most likely now obsolete. There will likely be issues such as trouble finding compatible modules or extensions, your site becoming an easy target for hacking, admin tools do not attend your growing business needs, and updates become difficult or break existing functionality. Identifying any one or many of these symptoms is a clear sign that a redesign is needed.
2. Underperforming User Experience
When users are having a bad experience visiting your website, they are likely to give up and not come back. User dissatisfaction is translated into high bounce rates, low engagement and less than ideal conversions. Generally, these issues stem from poor information architecture and confusing layout.
3. Responsive design, supporting multiple devices and browsers
Another major player in the experience equation is the ability to quickly access content from different devices. A website that does not adapt to mobile is a recipe for failure in today’s scenario: Google reports that 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site had trouble accessing and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead. Additionally, more websites are viewed on mobile devices and tablets then desktops since 2016 and this is a trend that will more than likely continue and expand with IoT.
4. Difficult or Non-Existent Content Management System (CMS)
If your content management system is clunky or non-existent, it is time for an overhaul. A solid CMS solution will provide separation of code and content along with an easy and intuitive way of editing / adding content (pages, posts or products) for non—technical personnel. A good CMS solution will also improve security by allowing management of user access and monitoring tools.
5. Company messaging and goals had changed
As time goes by, companies evolve and so should their messaging. When your message feels outdated there is a risk of losing branding value or targeting to the wrong market segment. If you feel that your website is not a good representation of your company, or if it is underperforming it is time for a redesign.
Decided on redesigning your website? Check out our 6 Essential Factors for a Successful Redesign Checklist
Other Considerations
The depth of a redesign is often determined by how critical are the issues found on the existing website.
Often, non-critical UX problems and trimming company branding can be accomplished with a less invasive design refresh (also called re-skinning) while core issues such as CMS/technology updates will require a deeper and broader approach.
In any case, it is important to keep in mind that all parts are interdependent: avoid going the rabbit-hole of patching what inevitably will have to be replaced. Short-term solutions tend to be expensive in the long-term. A bit of foresight and proper planning will save you a lot of stress and funds resulting in a scalable solution that will provide the tools to reach your goals and keep your business growing.
Do you want to discuss options for your redesign project?
About the Author
