Author: Ashish Roy
January 3rd, 2018
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Let us face it, websites age! They may no more look attractive, appealing, and cross-device functional. What was once a shining star once, maybe losing its sheen and its advantage to other more better organized websites that rank higher in search engines such as Google. If that is happening to your business too, it may be just the time you redesign your website.
Learn More- What Role Does a Great Website Play in your Business Online Marketing?
However, one of the most pertinent questions that we get from our customers (and prospective customers) is:
How Often Should We Redesign Our Website?
We will not beat around the bush. If you’re here, chances are you’re already looking to identify the signs of the weaknesses in your website (don’t worry, we will tell you that in the article below). B2B, Startup, eCommerce, real estate, law firm…name your industry and we can tell you that you need a site redesign every 3-4 years. If you’re a company operating in the web design, UI interface design, UX design, and moreover, digital marketing space, constant improvement is the buzzword.
However, rather than drilling down to the minutest specifics of your industry, what we will do is give you some questions. Questions about your website and you should try answering these questions. These answers will tell you if it is time!
Does My Website Needs a Redesign?
If the answers to these 6 questions is a no, then yes, it is time for you to redesign your website. Here are the questions:
OK, let us elaborate the website redesign questions for you. Here they are.
Does your site rank high in Google?
Let us face it.
If your website isn’t ranking high, no one is visiting it. It is like the most beautiful house on the street that no one can drive to. If you seemingly have a great looking website, but it doesn’t rank well, you may need to consider a website redesign. A new website, with the right strategy, CMS and content plan, can help with this issue. Maybe your previous website designer knew website design very well, but alas! That is all they knew. This is where a true digital marketing company comes into picture. One that has great understanding of UI and UX but excels at digital marketing. Someone like us, knows how to tie the loose ends to bring you leads and sales.
Can you add new content and pages to your website easily without days and weeks of wait or external help?
WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, Kentico, Custom CMS…the list of backend powered websites go on and on. Even if your current website is built on one of these systems, it may be not very user friendly. There are multiple reasons…right from plugins and the core not updated to use of outdated server architecture or lessened security measures on your website. Content Management System (CMS) should put the power in your hands to update your website’s text, photos, products, services, hours, PDF files, videos and much more.
LOOK:
Even, if your business is designed using a framework without an admin panel or if you got a vanilla-flavor plain old HTML website, it may just be the right time for a redesign. Again, please consider the importance that Google places on content marketing. You don’t need just a website, you need a content marketing machine. For your lead generation to click, you need a great looking CMS driven website.
Does your site work on your iPhone/Android phone all the way up to the 5K retina monitors like the iMac?
Does your website work on your phone, tablet, desktop, etc… is it responsive? If it isn’t, it’s time to seriously consider an upgrade. Responsive websites are now the industry standard and are the only way Cibirix offers websites. More than 55 percent of traffic comes from mobile compared to desktop. Google itself recommends AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) and responsive design (over m. subdomains). Moreover, if you are struggling to keep two sites operational just for the sake of appearing good enough on the smartphone, you may well consider a responsive website redesign.
Learn More- All You Need to Know: Mobile First Approach vs. Responsive Web Design
Does your site communicate your business functions properly?
Are you able to tell your users what your business does within 5 seconds of their landing on your website? Truth is that your visitors may be looking for a diverse set of topics and maybe in different stages of buying – Awareness Stage/Consideration Stage/Decision Stage. These buying stages are completely different from each other. The awareness stage is all about discovering the problem as well as some initial requirements to address it. The consideration stage informs the users about the available choices. The user is still most likely not in a “buy-it-now” mindset just yet, he has educated himself enough to take the next step his buying journey where the big decision will be made. The Decision stage is where after engaging with enough expert, trust building content, the buyer can filter their solution provider list down and make a confident decision in who they want to work with.
This is where you must decide if you have right content and the right architecture to put that content. In-depth technical articles, blog posts, infographics, FAQs, process diagrams, web tools, ticketing system…these are some essential tools that inform different users in different buying stages that they are in the correct place. See you need this content to educate, convince, and convert the visitor into a buyer. If your current website does not support all this, this is the correct time to opt for a redesign.
Do people use your website?
It is criminal to not tell you about the latest Google updates and what they mean for your business if your website and content is not sticky. Google has patented and has been using an algorithm to detect the quality of website pages known as the RankBrain algorithm. Rankbrain identifies the bounce rates and dwell time of users on your website (the time they spend on your site after clicking on the search results).
If Google sees that most of the people “bounce” right back to its results page from your website, it will reduce your ranking for the keywords. This is a user generated signal and Google is now paying high importance to this. While other signals such as number of links and freshness of content still matter a lot, you cannot afford to ignore the Rankbrain algorithm.
An excellent way to increase the dwell time is to write effective content with bucket brigades. Bucket Brigades are an old school copywriting tactic that were originally designed to keep people reading sales letters.
Other ways of increasing dwell-time include the production and optimization of videos on Youtube. Some industries may need smart and in-depth tools such as this one to increase engagement and dwell time and bring great results to your business.
Do you Get Business from Your Website; leads and sales?
Most business owners have a website that has been sitting there for years doing nothing for them. Some of them feel more pain as they spent thousands of dollars developing a cutting-edge site which delivered them no leads and no sales. It is like a Ferrari with no engine…doesn’t go anywhere.
See
The end goal of every business website is more business. Like the 24X7 adage above, if your website is not bringing you results, you may need to redesign it.
Where to get started with a Website Redesign Project?
We get it, website redesigns can be a bit daunting, overwhelming, and even a little stressful if you don’t know where to start. You may have other questions that we would be happy to help answer! You don’t want off-the-shelf solutions so we don’t offer them. You want to work with a team of honest, experienced, dedicated craftsmen. If that sounds like you, we should talk.
Since founding Cibirix, Ashish has leveraged his marketing degree to lead the agency in crafting meaningful digital marketing experiences for clients. His results-driven approach is a unique mix of analytical thinking, crisp visual aesthetics and a desire to simplify frontends while developing robust architecture. With a passion for design, technology, & marketing, He leads each aspect of the agency’s business and oversees its talented team of digital professionals.
