Businesses and services are constantly evolving to meet new demands and reach a wider audience. According to statistics gathered by Forbes Advisor, 26.9% of business is conducted online. This means if your business does not have an online presence, it is missing out on a significant portion of potential engagement and revenue.
However, just having a website does not guarantee business. Users are extremely selective about which sites they visit and engage with. This is where your website’s design becomes integral to gaining and maintaining customers.
But how do you know if your website needs a redesign? In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about great web design and when you should update your site.
For personalised advice, contact our team at practiceedge today.
How Do I Know if I Need a Website Redesign?
Your website’s design and performance are integral to attracting new customers. However, users form an opinion about your site and business in just 0.05 seconds, meaning that first impressions online count more than ever.
Without a clear and optimised page, users are more likely to dismiss your business as potentially outdated or unwieldy to use. 47% of users won’t wait longer than 2 seconds for a page to load and 88% will not return if they’ve had a bad experience.
If your website has an older design, difficult navigation or long load times it is most likely turning customers away and in need of a redesign. Likewise, for more concrete signs you should consider your performance data. If you have low click-through rates, high bounce rates and a low search engine ranking a website redesign could be your solution.
How Often Should a Website Be Redesigned?
An old website design can make your business seem out of date and less professional. With constantly changing business trends, 71% of leading marketers believe that redesigning their website every one to three years is imperative to staying ahead of the curve.
Not only can this keep your business looking fresh, but it can ensure that your site is consistently optimised for changing online standards. For instance, Google’s algorithm has been changed 36 times between 2018 and 2023. This means that most websites will have to update their content to stay optimised with each new algorithm update.
Likewise, trends are constantly changing. Users may have preferred light mode in the past but recent information says that dark mode is growing in popularity. As such, it is important to redesign your site to ensure it is optimised and attractive to users at least every few years.
Benefits of a Website Redesign for Your Business
There are many concrete benefits your business can gain with a website redesign. Here, we’ll detail the main differences a website update can have for you.
Improved User Experience
A redesign focuses on simplifying the navigation and structure of the site to guide users toward key information or actions. This could include more intuitive menus, cleaner layouts, and clearer calls to action. Likewise, a redesign can optimise your website’s code, compress large images, and improve server performance. Each of these factors can reduce page load times.
A seamless, enjoyable user experience encourages visitors to stay longer. They will explore more pages, and engage with your content, which can ultimately increase conversion rates. Furthermore, faster sites keep users engaged longer. This can improve SEO rankings, and contribute to a better overall user experience.
Mobile Responsiveness
As of 2023, 55.5% of all web traffic came from mobile devices. This means your site must function flawlessly on smartphones and tablets. A redesign ensures that your website is responsive. This means it automatically adjusts and optimises the layout based on the screen size.
74% of users are likely to return to your site if it is mobile-friendly. Redesigning for mobile enhances the user experience on all devices. It can then improve and increase accessibility for a larger audience.
Enhanced SEO Performance
Search engine optimisation (SEO) plays a crucial role in how easily your business can be found online. The latest statistics indicate that less than 1% of users look at the second page of search results. A redesign can help address outdated or inefficient code, optimise meta tags, and improve the site’s structure. This makes it easier for search engines like Google to crawl and index your pages.
Enhanced SEO increases your visibility in search results, driving more organic traffic to your website. Likewise, a higher ranking on search engines often increases the credibility of your site, increasing trust with consumers.
Increased Conversions
By redesigning your website, you can optimise the placement of calls-to-action (CTAs). You can also simplify the checkout process or streamline the way users sign up for services. A poorly designed website with slow-loading pages can reduce conversions by up to 7%. While conversion rates vary by industry, the average should be around 2.35%, with the best websites converting up to 10% or more.
A cleaner, more efficient design helps reduce friction in the user journey. You can guide visitors toward making purchases or engaging with your services. This ultimately boosts sales and leads.
Easier Maintenance
Outdated websites often rely on complex code or old platforms that make updating content cumbersome. A redesign using a modern content management system (CMS) like WordPress, simplifies the process of adding new products, blog posts, or updates.
This ease of use empowers your team to maintain the site regularly, keeping it fresh and relevant without needing extensive technical skills. Overall, an updated and redesigned website can cut overall maintenance costs long term.
Do You Need Support Redesigning Your Website?
At practiceedge, we have years of experience optimising and designing websites for businesses. Whether you need a fresh look, faster loading times or improved conversion rates we’re the team for you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team and get started on redesigning your website today.
With our support, your site will start making a concrete impact on your business.