One of the questions we often get from business owners is, “How do I know if I need a new website for my business?”. This is an important question because business owners are often busy running their business and don’t have the time to focus on their online marketing efforts or maybe lack the knowledge of what makes a good business website. The worst part is that they are losing potential customers.
For this reason, we’ve compiled the following list with 5 reasons your business needs a new website design:
1. Your Website Simply Looks Old
The first sign that it’s probably time for a new website is if your website looks like it was made in the 90’s.
Remember, your website is often the first impression that a potential client has of your business or brand, and you don’t want them to get the wrong impression from the start. A well-designed website will not only help you improve your brand image, but will also help your customers understand with ease what your business is about and the services that you offer.
2. Not Mobile Responsive
A mobile responsive website is a must, no questions asked! Most people choose to use their mobile devices to browse the web over a desktop computer because it’s much more convenient. Not only can they get access to information quicker, but they can also get it while on the go. It also makes it a single tap away from making a call or sending an email to inquire about a service.
Search engines prioritize websites that are mobile optimized in their search rankings because they know how much mobile traffic is increasing, and at the end of the day, they want their users to have the best experience possible.
3. Slow Loading Time
Remember the last time you went to a website that took FOREVER to load, or even worse, it didn’t load?
Well, you don’t want that to happen on your site, because just how you left that site, your potential clients are leaving yours. In 2018, the average load time before a visitor leaves is about 3 seconds, so you want to stay below that. Low page speed scores are one of the metrics Search Engines use to determine where to rank your site, so you want to make sure you load as fast as you can.
Some free tools we recommend to test your website speed are GTmetrix and Pingdom.
4. Low Conversions
When a website has low conversions, it means that visitors are not doing what you want them to do. Whether it’s making a purchase, booking an appointment, making a reservation, or signing up for a newsletter, you want to make sure your visitors take action.
Many factors can contribute to low conversions; it could be the site layout, the copy on your site, maybe even the colors. This makes it hard to pinpoint why your clients aren’t taking the action you want. That is why it’s important to split-test the different components of your website to see what work and take out what’s not. If your website isn’t converting the way it should, then maybe it’s time for a new one.
5. People can’t find your Business
Having the most amazing business website means nothing if no one can find it. When people search for products or services, search engines will show them the best ranking websites that are relevant to what the user is looking for.
This means that you want a high-ranking website to increase the number of potential visitors to your business. If your website is not ranking well with search engines, then it’s time to re-design your website to follow best SEO practices.
So, Does your Business Need a New Website?
The issues discussed above are good indicators that it’s probably time to start thinking about redesigning your website. If your business or a one that you know of is currently experiencing some of these issues, then it’s time to fix what is negatively impacting it.
If you would like a free consultation or need help with web development, contact us today, we’d be happy to help.