4 Signs Your Website Needs a Redesign
Back when the Internet was introduced and web pages were nothing more than just a receptacle for basic information, the design was not much of a concern. In fact, having a website was already revolutionary. Today though, those bare-boned websites will never compete with thousands of aesthetically pleasing and easily navigable websites.
Most people spend a chunk of their day going from one website to another. In terms of judging which websites are worth their time or not, it usually depends on three key factors:
- Content
- Familiarity
- Website Design
These are technically not mutually exclusive. If one website has just one of those factors, a visitor will more or less take a couple of minutes out of their browsing time to check out other pages and continue perusing your content. If they like what they have seen, then there is a chance that they will return again. But because they have visited countless websites already, some of them tend to check the design and navigation of a website first before passing judgment; and often, badly designed websites end up on the chopping block.
So for this article, let us explore some of the glaring signs that tell you your website needs revamping.
Powerful hosting
Now, this is quite relative. Your hosting team should help your website’s performance based on what your needs or goals are for the website. There are three kinds of hosting to choose from:
- Shared hosting means that you are sharing a server with other users. However, there is a risk that your website’s performance will suffer if one of the users is overusing the system.
- A dedicated server means you get your own hardware system. But this is an expensive option.
- Windows VPS combines the best features of both shared and dedicated hosting. It will divide the hardware into smaller virtual machines, giving each user sharing the system their own operating system.
Low Visibility
If you have been in the game long enough, you know that ranking low in search engines is a website-killer. This means you are not being visited frequently by users and that even Google thinks your website should not take up a slot on the first page. There used to be a time when stuffing your website with keywords was a surefire way to rank in organic search. But algorithms have changed significantly; which means original content and high quality will help rankings.
Not Mobile-Friendly
According to a study done by Econsultancy, 62% of websites designed with mobile adaptability saw an increase in sales. Furthermore, when Google rolled out their mobile-first approach, they noticed that over 50% of queries are being made on mobile, which means a sizeable amount of Internet users are on mobile more than their desktop. Not catering to this demographic might mean losing sales, losing leads, and losing the chance to engage with prospective clients.
Slow Load Speed
Based on our own experience, when a website loads for more than 3 seconds, we usually leave before giving it time to load. We tend to become easily impatient. This is why bounce rates are a huge problem for websites with a lot of graphics, unnecessarily bulky text, and too many pages. And if personal experience is not enough, Kissmetrics released an article that says 47% of users expect websites to load within 2 seconds, and 40% will abandon the page when it takes more than 3 seconds to finish loading.
No Significant Conversion
High bounce rates, short page visits, and no conversion rates are huge red flags. It means that a lot of people do not find your website relevant. An important thing to remember is relevance is not heavily reliant on content. Yes, people may read and share the type of content you are posting, but the logistics of a website have convinced them that you are worth visiting.
There are tons of design-related matters you can fix to increase your conversion but focus on two major factors first. The first factor is the overall design. If it looks outdated, then you have to look at current design trends and adapt. Second is the navigability. If it is confusing to use, then this also means that opportunities to convert a visitor to a paying customer or a subscriber are lost.
Algorithms and design trends are ever-changing. Right now, most websites are going for a minimalistic approach, which means concise content coupled with a chic and straightforward design. Of course, just like with any creative project, create your own style and stand out. But remember that these are trends for a reason — if you are going to innovate, and you definitely should, always base it off of what brings in more traffic.
We hope you found the promoted post as entertaining and informative as we did!