1. It was built years ago
Have you ever stumbled upon a website that feels out of date? Practically ancient? Does it remind you of yours, with something about your business website making you bored and uninterested? Many of our clients meet us at our Cheltenham design studio because they feel the same about their website, and it’s our job to pick apart the elements that are ultimately dating the website and the brand, to make it great again. Your website is the central force of your digital marketing, so don’t be a fool by letting it drive your business off the cliff.
Seriously, the web never sleeps, and therefore, nor should your website. The internet is the fastest growing industry in the world, and it’s constantly evolving. If you don’t keep up with its evolution path, you’re going to be left behind alone and in the dark typing “Why God, why?”, into Google, regretting the choices that you did not make. You’ll be thinking out loud “why haven’t I talked to a web designer already?”.
2. It doesn’t work on mobile devices
Unless you’re young blood, born in the 2000’s, you have obviously noticed the mobile-device baby boom Armageddon. Mobile usage has spread all over the world, fast and furiously, just like an unwanted dengue disease. Didn’t you notice? You can’t even walk down the street these days, and not see people staring at their mobile devices. It’s a bold fact that if your website isn’t optimised for mobiles, you’re losing customers.
According to official Google statements, more than 50% of total searches now come from mobile devices. Even the Google’s ranking algorithm has changed, to prioritise websites that scale well, across all devices. User experience plays a huge role in today’s world wide web, and it is a no brainer that it’s time to go responsive.
3. It’s hard to navigate
Just as a good pair of prescription glasses are important to my second half, having simple, easy-to-use website navigation, is just as important. If your users struggle finding their way back to the homepage, or can’t find the product or service you provide, navigation might be at fault, and a re-design required.
4. You can’t update your website content without calling your web designer
Sound familiar? One way to stay on top of your competitors, and on the first page of Google, is to keep your website content updated and relevant. Equip your website with an intuitive & easy-to-use content management system such as CMS:42, which allows you to manage every aspect of your website, without needing to know how to code.
5. Your search engine rankings are dropping
Although the reasons for this are endless, outdated design, slow loading speeds and extremely poor device optimisation will really put off anyone from using your website. Never the less, since you launched your original website, search engines have gotten much smarter. Search engines are now looking for more than just keywords within your webpages. Search engines such as Google are more content-hungry; looking for high-quality, frequently updated, user-oriented content.
6. It’s extremely slow
We’re living in a time where everyone is in a rush and people lack patience. Expecting your customer to wait for a webpage to load for more than 3 seconds, is like waiting for a pizza at Dominos for 3 hours. No matter how you look at it, I've surely won't wait 3 hours for a pizza.
7. Your business’ branding has changed
In most cases, your website will be the first impression a potential customer will have of your brand. A website is your gateway to the digital world, it’s like a book cover and you’ll be judged on it! From the first moment a visitor glances at your site, your website will need to tell a story, clearly outlining what your company does and what you can offer to your customer. If it feels like your website doesn’t line up with your target audiences demands, it’s time for an update.
If any of the statements above are familiar to you, then it’s time to invest into a website re-design.