If you are like most people, you probably replace your smartphone every few years. Isn’t it incredible how rapidly they become obsolete? Unfortunately, most websites are in the same boat.
There are numerous indicators that your firm requires a new website. We are not simply talking about the appearance of your website, but it is an obvious indicator. Your website’s performance and functionality are both critical.
Your bounce rate is high.
“Bounce rate” is defined by Google Analytics as the percentage of single-page visitors to your site. In other words, it is the percentage of visitors who arrive at your site and visit the first page. Visitors who bounce either did not find what they were looking for, were not interested in learning more or considered your website to be too slow or difficult to use.
A new design can help fix some of these problems and persuade readers to stay longer. If your bounce rate is constantly greater than 70-90% across your site, it is safe to suggest that a new website should be considered (or, at the very least, a new copy and content update).
Your page load times need to be faster.
One of the most common difficulties we encounter with outdated websites is how slowly the pages load. If your prospects are anything like most of us, they have grown accustomed to getting what they want when they want it. That means they will load immediately and, worse, will disrupt the reader when those images decide to come up and rearrange your content.
Long load times correlate to increased bounce rates. Furthermore, when calculating a website’s search ranking, Google favours load speeds. This is noteworthy because Google accounts for 94% of organic search traffic.
Your website does not accurately represent your brand.
Your brand, products, and messaging evolve with time, but has your website kept up? Visitors’ first impressions frequently mean the difference between winning a potential customer and bouncing. Make sure you are recognized for having a well-designed website that resonates with your message and brand and responds to your customers’ pain concerns today, not a few years ago.
If your organization purports to be cutting-edge, yet your website is everything, there is a significant mismatch. If that is the case, it is time to establish a new one or, at the very least, a launchpad site.
Your website appears to be from 2010.
To the point: if you have not modified your website design in the last decade, you need to catch up to the times. Your reputation is being harmed by flashing visuals and text, thousands of font variants, and a color scheme that shouts, “taste the rainbow.” We hate to single out anyone, but a simple Google search for the worst websites will yield a plethora of cringe-worthy instances.
Okay, so your website may not be “that horrible,” but it most likely falls short of contemporary website standards and trends. Examining your competitors’ websites is a simple technique to evaluate your web design. Be truthful; how does yours stack up against the best competitors in your industry?
Your website has not been updated in more than three years.
Consider how quickly fashion trends and electronic gadgets change; websites must stay up. In the previous five years, Redberries has fully redesigned its website twice. Of course, we continuously modify to keep up with the latest design trends and user experience enhancements.
Aside from its appearance, there are numerous reasons to upgrade your website. Does it, for example, have a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate? It is not deemed secure if your URL does not display a small padlock icon when viewed in a web browser. An SSL certificate significantly impacts how highly your website ranks in search results.
You are unable to update content on your own.
You are likely wasting time and money if you rely on a web developer to make modifications every time you want to alter the material, add a blog, or conduct other easy operations.
CMS platforms such as HubSpot make it simple for marketers to take control of their websites without learning code or being web designers. You can effortlessly add additional landing pages, CTAs, blogs, and other pages to your website by dragging and dropping templates and forms. Others can make those activities appear like pulling teeth when compared to the HubSpot CMS platform.
Your website navigation needs to be clearer.
We see it all the time: a dozen menu items in the navigation bar and an architecture with roughly the same number of sections as a Rubik’s Cube (and about as hard to figure out, too). Some people believe offering users as many alternatives as possible is necessary; however, doing so overwhelms visitors and causes a terrible user experience.
This is a common issue with websites that have been pieced together over time. Prospects should intuitively understand where to click, how to learn about your products or services, and how to navigate to the information effortlessly and rapidly they seek when they visit your website. Maintain simplicity.
Your conversion rates could be higher.
It is time to improve if your website needs to generate more leads or conversions. All the factors listed on this list can lead to low conversion rates, and if more than one of them sounds familiar, you owe it to yourself and your bottom line to upgrade your business website.
Your website needs to be mobile-friendly and responsive.
Mobile website traffic accounts for more than half of all web visitors worldwide. If your website needs mobile-friendly, you are gaining out on all those future visits. Even if your website is mobile-friendly, since it is responsive when viewed on numerous devices, more is needed for certain businesses.
Mobile-first websites run faster, and search engines base their results on mobile rather than desktop. Consider mobile-first web design if you are starting from scratch, as user engagement on these devices will only grow in the future.
You need to utilize inbound marketing.
Simply having a website does not imply that it is optimized for inbound traffic. Suppose your website is largely informative but does not help educate and inform your audience to establish trust and guide them toward a purchase decision. In that case, it will not assist you in meeting your business growth objectives. A true inbound site will contain content that attracts, engages, and delights visitors and many leads conversion chances that aid in lead nurturing.
Finally, do I need a new website? If so, there is a high chance you already know the answer. Suppose you see any of these significant faults on your site and want to start an inbound campaign. In that case, you are better off beginning from scratch with a launchpad site and using a Growth-Driven Design (GDD) strategy to enhance it continuously. A GDD strategy can help you make those improvements over time and is generally far more cost-effective than the standard web design technique.