As a general rule of thumb, (depending on your industry) your website needs to be updated every 4-5 years. It’s important to ensure that the face of your business online is always fresh, relevant, eye-appealing, and accessible. Trends always change and being on top of them helps your website to continue drawing in customers. If you’re not quite at the 4-5 year mark or if you’re on the fence about a redesign, here are a few signs to watch out for that indicate your website needs to be updated. 

1. Your website is not mobile-friendly

Mobile website users generate over half of worldwide web traffic. If your website isn’t appropriately optimized to look good on mobile browsers, this severely impacts your website’s effectiveness. Pull out your phone and check out your website on it’s internet app. Does your website look normal or, better yet, does it look good? Mobile-friendliness is a vital part of a successful website, so if your website isn’t up to par, it is definitely time for a redesign. 

2. You’re afraid to give your website URL to people

Your website should be such a good representation of your business that you want to put the URL on billboards, bumper stickers, and refrigerator magnets. If you’re afraid to give out the URL of your website to a potential customer looking for more information, your website needs an overhaul. With close to 5 million active internet users, your website needs to be built to impress. If you’re ashamed of it, it’s time to give it a facelift. 

3. You’re not receiving as many website leads anymore

The purpose of your website is simple: inform potential and current customers about things related to your business, and gather leads. If you notice a decrease in the amount of leads you’re receiving through your website, this indicates that it’s time for a change. While there are many things that drive traffic and leads through your website, the design and user-friendliness definitely have an impact. When you notice a decrease in leads, take a close look at the design of your website and how easy it is to navigate. If you’re getting close to that 4-5 year mark, it’s time for a revamp of your website’s design. 

4. Your competitor’s websites outshine yours

Any potential customer will be weighing the information and design of your site against your competitors. Maybe they came to your website first, but couldn’t easily navigate it or the design turned them away. They then turned to your competitor’s site where they found everything they needed in a visually appealing layout. Take a look at the websites of a few of your competitors. How do they stack up against yours? Are they easier to navigate, more user-friendly, more eye appealing, and do they have more useful information? If any of those things are true, it’s time to consider redesigning your site.

5. You’re struggling to make changes on the site

Professionally developed websites should be easy for you to make quick, small updates like changing a photo or your contact information. If you’re struggling to make even minor changes to your website, this indicates that it needs to be updated. You could be using out-of-date plugins or themes that are no longer supported, and all of that needs to be changed and redone. 

6. Your photos/images are old and don’t reflect your business

If every single photo on your website is old and outdated, that’s a good sign it’s time to redo your website. Typically, photos help a website tie in the whole theme and branding scheme. If your photos haven’t been updated in a long time and no longer reflect your business, chances are the same can be said about the entirety of your website. It won’t be as simple as just swapping out the old photos for new ones- you’ll want to consider completely redoing the website. 

7. It’s hard to navigate and find things on your website

Open up your website from the homepage and click through your pages with the intentionality of a new customer. Try to take the path that they would likely take. See if it’s easy for you to find things they may be looking for. If you struggle to make your way through the site, if buttons don’t lead to where they’re supposed to go, and if you can’t find everything a customer may need- it’s time to redo your website. 

8. It takes forever for your website to load

When opening up your website for the first time or clicking between pages, loading shouldn’t take more than a few seconds. If it’s taking any longer than that, potential customers will move on to the next option in their search. Open up your website on a fresh browser and test the load time. Be sure it’s not taking longer than a few seconds. If it does, your website needs updating and optimizing.

If any of these situations apply to you, and especially if more than one applies, you need to consider a website redesign in your 2022 marketing budget. Our team would love to work with you on discussing, brainstorming, designing, and building a brand new website to help you kick off 2022 with a bang. Reach out today for a free quote and let’s get started!
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