There is no doubt about it that life has virtually moved online. The digital world has become such an integral part of our existence that it is no longer a question of whether your business needs an online presence, rather it’s become a matter of what you can do to maximize your business’s online presence.
With unlimited access to information and the ability to shop and compare products and services with a few clicks or a swipe of the screen, your website has become the face of your business. But is it sending the right message? If it’s not, you may need a website redesign job done.
Consumers are quick to judge a business’s creditability based on what they see online. If your website is sending out the wrong signals, it could significantly impact your sales and overall success – even if you aren’t an e-commerce business.
If you’re unsure whether your website is working for you or against you, here are five questions to ask yourself it’s time to make a change.
Is My Website Projecting the Right Image?
Visually, how does your website stack up against your competitors? Modern users have grown accustomed to a contemporary web design, so don’t fool yourself into thinking appearances don’t matter. They matter – a lot. An eye-watering 75% of consumers admit to making snap judgements on a company’s credibility based on its website, and nearly half will abandon a website with an unattractive layout or content.
Take a look at your current web design through an objective lens. How does it look and feel compared to other sites you’ve recently browsed. If the layout is clunky, the font and graphics are outdated, and pages are slow to load, it’s a sure sign that your website is in dire need to be refreshed.
Does My Content Clearly Communicate My Message?
Layout and design are not the only factors discerning consumers will be evaluating when they visit your website. What you have to say and how you are relaying it are equally as important. Older websites tended to use extremely long-winded descriptions and excessive keyword stuffing that made content almost painful to read.
Consumers today have much shorter attention spans and significantly less patience for poorly written content. One survey estimates that users will spend less than 6 seconds scanning your website’s written copy for the information they’re looking for, so you have a quick chance to gain their attention. Redesigning your website to include clear, concise, crisp content and an attention-grabbing call-to-action will help get people where they need to go fast and will dramatically improve user engagement on your site.
Is My Website as Responsive on Mobile Devices like it is on a Desktop?
Hey, 2019 called, and it wants Flash back. As the pervasiveness of mobile phones climbs, so does the need for websites that function just as seamlessly on mobile devices as they do on laptops and desktops. Over the last five years, mobile e-commerce sales have grown a whopping 267%, a trend that is expected to continue well past 2022.
So, what does that mean for your website design? There are three areas where your website needs to excel to satisfy mobile users. It needs to be fast, responsive, and easy to navigate on smaller screens. If your current website fails in any of the categories, you need a website redesign. Slow-loading websites cost retailers as much as $2.6 billion annually in lost sales. We can all agree that the cost of website design services will pay for itself.
Is My Website Reflective of My Brand?
People change, products change, and goals change. If it’s been a few years since you last updated your website design, is it still reflective of your brand? 81% of people research products online before buying therefore making it very likely that your website will be the first interaction a prospective consumer has with your business, thus it needs to impart the right message.
A common mistake made by business owners is failing to accurately reflect changes to their marketing strategy, product mix, or service offerings on their website. Consumers aren’t able to guess whether or not your business can provide what they are looking for, so you need to show them you can fulfil a need or risk losing them to a competitor.
If it has been more than two years since you last gave your website a refresh, now may be the time to revisit it and make sure your site accurately reflects your current operations and business objectives.
Are My Performance Metrics Telling Me Something is Wrong?
How do you objectively evaluate whether or not your website needs a refresh or rehaul? One way is to examine your performance metrics. Various tools are available to help you gauge website performance and some of the best ones are even available for free through Google Analytics. Diving into the data can reveal a lot about what aspects of your website are working and those that are not. Some particularly telling metrics to pay attention to include:
• Your bounce rate – the percentage of users who click on your website and leave rather than taking any further action
• Traffic rates – number of sessions, users, and page views
• The number of new visitors vs the number of returning visitors (the returning visitors are your bread and butter)
• Time spent on your site or average session duration
• Top performing keywords
• Top performing pages (pages that generate the most traffic)
• Your conversion rate – number of conversions/visitors * 100%
Combined, all these performance metrics paint a picture of how your website is performing. if you don’t like the facts and figures shown, a website redesign could be the answer.
Are you ready for more traffic, higher conversion, and increased sales? The team at Nirvana can revamp, redesign, or completely reimagine your website. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we help businesses succeed online.
