If you’ve found your way to this blog, chances are you’re already wondering if your current website is due for a refresh or not. Often, redesigning a website is not something that a business is keen on doing. From having to brainstorm new ideas to the time involved, it can seem overwhelming to many business owners.
However, the fact is that websites do in fact need to be redesigned from time to time, no matter how annoying the task may seem. All websites, no matter how cutting-edge when they were first designed, will at some point become old and outdated. And this may not take quite as long as you think.
For most businesses, websites have a shelf life of 1.5 to 2.5 years before they should be updated. Some may find that they can go longer between redesigns, whereas others (who perhaps are in an industry with a lot of frequent change) may find that they need to update as often as every 6 to 12 months.
How to Tell if You Need to Redesign Your Website
The answer to how often your business should redesign its website should really rely less on an arbitrary timeline, and more on how the website is performing. Here are four different indicators that will let you know it’s time for a website redesign:
- Your Lead Generation Is Sub-Par.
If your website isn’t driving new leads for you to mine for conversions, then it isn’t doing its job properly. Every business today should benefit from its online presence. If you aren’t, then you are missing out on vital sales.
- It Looks Unprofessional, Is Poorly Designed, or Isn’t User-Friendly.
If you are trying to present yourself as an authority within your industry, it’s hard to convey that message if your website looks like it was designed by someone who had no idea what they were doing. This is also true if your website isn’t user-friendly; difficult-to-navigate websites have a high bounce rate, as users leave in favor of finding a competitor site that is easier to use.
- The Messaging Is Out of Date.
If your business has undergone a major change in messaging, offers, or your priorities, then your website needs to be updated to reflect this.
- It Isn’t Being Found.
In all honesty, it doesn’t matter how state-of-the-art your website is if people can’t find it. Without proper utilization of SEO, your website isn’t going to show up in Google search results, unless people search for your business name – and even then you might be beaten out by competitors.
Is it Time for a Change?
If any of the above four situations apply to your business, then it is time for you to consider a website redesign. And if you’re looking for an agency that is able to address all aspects of web design and web development, contact us today! At Gulf Coast Web, we have over 25 years of experience in managing all types of digital design and marketing campaigns – even for companies outside of our immediate area. Our staff consists of highly-trained digital design advertising professionals who are both passionate about their jobs and excel at what they do. Contact us today to book a consultation with our team. We look forward to outlining exactly how we can help you grow your business with our digital media agency services.