It doesn’t matter if you last updated your website 6 months ago or 6 years ago, you may be overdue for a redesign. Trends and industry standards change so quickly in the internet world that many businesses struggle to keep up. We have come up with 5 questions you can ask about your current website to determine if it is time for a new website.
- Is it mobile friendly?
Is your current website mobile friendly? Unfortunately, we’re not talking about having a separate mobile website anymore. Instead, we’re talking about responsive design. Responsive design allows a user to access your website from their phone and have an optimal viewing experience as they would on a desktop. There is no redirecting to a mobile version or downloading a mobile app involved. Instead, your actual website resizes and responds to the device it is being displayed on.
According to Statista, in 2013, 73.4% of the global online population accessed the internet from their mobile phone. As you can see, having a mobile friendly website is an absolute must. If your website is not responsive, it is time for an upgrade.
- Does it load quickly?
How long does it take your website to load? If you’re unsure, test it here. Websites that take a long time to load reflect poorly on the company and hurt your SEO. Your website may be loading slowly due to the outdated technology it uses or the size of the files (i.e. images) on your homepage.
If you are finding that your website is loading slowly, contact your developer about discovering the cause and redesigning the site to meet industry standards.
- Is it ranking in Search Engines?
When you search your company’s keywords in Google, does your website turn up? Does your competitor’s website turn up? If you are not ranking in Google’s search results, then you are in need of search engine optimization services. While some minor changes can be done to help your ranking, some websites will require a total overhaul. SEO involves proper HTML, good content, exceptional load time, responsiveness, and streamlined navigation. If your website needs improvements in several of these areas, it is time for a full redesign.
- Do you have a content management system?
Are you currently calling your web developer every time you want to swap out a picture or change a little piece of content on your website? If so, your website is probably so outdated that it was not built on a content management system (CMS). Content management systems allow you to login to your website and manage the content, images, videos, etc. without the assistance of your web developer. It’s unbelievable how much a CMS can streamline various processes.
If you do not have a CMS for managing your site content, it is time for a new website. You can learn more about some of the top available content management systems here to ensure you make the right choice.
- How does your content look?
Does your website have a lot of content? Is it still accurate for your business? Is it grammatically correct and formatted properly? A lot of different factors go into your website content and good website content increases leads as well as search engine rankings.
If your website content is inaccurate or out of date, you will want to redesign your website. Although content is just one piece of the overall puzzle, re-creating content is a huge step. Therefore, we recommend doing a full redesign if you plan to develop new content, because content and design truly go hand-in-hand.
If any of these questions led you to the conclusion that you need a website redesign, then it is time to take the next step. Contact Informatics today to get started on your next web project.
photo credit: John Morgan via flickr cc (modified)
