Your business has a website, so why would you need a new one? Well, if it’s working for you – driving traffic, converting sales, increasing your brand awareness – then maybe you don’t.
However, websites are not like crockpots. You can’t just set it and forget it. You need to keep up with the times. Technology changes, so at a minimum you need to make sure that your website is keeping up. User behavior changes and so do design aesthetics. Ignoring these trends will make you look outdated and may, in fact, turn prospective business away.
I’m not super technical. And that’s not really what I’m talking about here. I like to think about website design from the perspective of your ideal client. Leave the technical stuff to the web designers and developers.
So how do you know if it’s time for a refresh? First and foremost, is your site mobile friendly? At this point, there’s no excuse for not having done this yet. According to socPub, 57% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. If your site doesn’t load properly on a mobile device or tablet, you are likely to lose that business.
Does it take your site forever to load? I’ve recently been told that humans have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. Whether or not that’s true, the fact of the matter is that humans are not sitting around waiting for your site to load. We are living in a time when end users expect things to work immediately. There’s no time to hang around and wait. So, if your site is as slow as molasses, it’s definitely time for a do-over.
While this may sound frivolous, website design has changed over the years. Just like fashion, certain aspects of web design have come and gone. It’s important to look current – otherwise you lose a bit of credibility. Today’s websites are cleaner, more streamlined. Is yours?
Having a pretty web presence isn’t all it takes, though. Your website content needs to align with your brand strategy. In order to attract the right audience, you need to have the right content. Creating the right content is a process that takes thought. It’s not just putting nice words on a page. It’s putting the right words on a page so that your brand promise is on-point and your message is clear. A lot of web design companies leave the content to you, which means you may not be hitting the mark from a strategic brand standpoint.
If someone navigates to your website, will they be able to find what they were looking for? Again, this comes back to immediacy. Anyone who lands on your site is expecting to find what they are looking for – pronto. No one has time to read through lots of copy or to click all over your site to find what they are looking for. Make it simple. Easy to navigate. Keep your audience in mind and make the most relevant information easy to find. Don’t waste their time by forcing them to dig through your site to find what they’re looking for. You’ll lose them in the process.
If you’re not hitting the mark in these areas, I would advise you that it’s time to redesign your site. Oftentimes, your website is where you make your first impression. Make sure it’s a good one!
DARCI Creative
Total Brand Agency
