Web design can be a costly investment both with your time and your money, but the fruits of your labor can be realized in a significant way for your business. Digital marketing is the way of the future. Putting your best foot forward online is the best way to drive online traffic into paying customers.
However, things might not be going well for your website. You may find that your sales are low or not growing at the rate that you want them to. So when is it time to reinvest in website design?
In this article, we will answer this question by discussing the common pitfalls and problems with websites and how they can impact your overall online footprint.
What is Web Design?
Website design is the design that is visible to people who are using your website. This includes the visual look of your websites, such as graphics, color selections, and logos.
Website design also includes the navigation and ease of use of the website.
When Should You Redesign Your Website?
In our opinion, we think that you should consider investing in web design again for two main different reasons: your web design is poor or your web design is not serving you.
These two categories are important to denote because poor web design has an element of suggestion to it. Some people may like elements of a poorly designed website, for example.
On the other hand, web design that is causing you issues because of its functionality is separate from this.
What is Poor Web Design?
This question is extremely difficult to answer because the answer to this question will vary from person to person in many cases. You might find that some people love your logo while others find your logo to be unsightly and unprofessional.
These variables can make trying to pin down whether or not your website design is working frustrating. However, in these modern times and with the development of web design rapidly increasing, some choices will make your web design poor without argument.
Let’s go over some examples of poor web design:
- Outdated Design
People can tell when you haven’t updated your website nowadays. If your design is using old trends or old technology that no longer works on today’s devices, you are not putting your best foot forward.
Customers want to know that you care about your business. This includes caring about your online presence as your website is a part of your brand.
Leaving your website to be neglected is a major reason why people might be passing up on purchasing your goods and services.
- Poor Stock Photo Usage
The use of stock photos on a website can be done well, but a lot of the time people tend to use free stock images. When you do this, you run the risk of people becoming familiar with the stock photography that you are using on your website.
This is a huge mistake for your website because it also transmits the message that you do not care about your website. While this may be entirely the opposite, you should be careful about the images that you use on your website.
It might be time to invest in some custom photos or higher-quality stock images to refresh your website design.
Use these two examples to determine whether or not your web design has some issues with it or could need a full design upgrade. When dealing with poor web design, you can be selective about what changes you may want to make.
How to Address a Website That Is Not Working?
If you are feeling like your website might be in this second category, it might be time to trust your gut and reinvest in web design. However, if you are still unsure, let’s go over the top three indicators that your website absolutely needs a refresh now.
- Not Mobile Friendly
If your website is not optimized for mobile devices, your website is not serving you in the digital age. Now more than ever people are accessing articles, websites, and business pages from their smartphones rather than a desktop computers.
Over 50% of people accessing online websites are accessing them from mobile devices. When people come across websites that do not have a mobile version, they are more likely to click away and find another website that better serves their needs.
- Not Aligned With Your Brand
Websites in this category may have had their brands outgrow their original web design. You might have invested just a small amount of money in your website initially and received a nice-looking simple website as a result.
However, as your brand and business grow, you might find yourself outgrowing this website. You may need more options for navigation or have decided upon a new branding color palette. If you feel that this is the case for your business, it is time for a redesign.
- Not Keeping People Interested
This is the worst position to find yourself in, however, there is still hope with a website redesign! If you are finding that people are clicking away from your website or not using your navigation system properly, you should be investing in a website redesign.
According to studies, websites have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression on their consumer. After this point, people click away from websites and become dissatisfied with them.
Even if you pass these 50 milliseconds, you can also have people leave your website later for other reasons. If your analytics are showing a high level of people ditching your website without reaching out to you or making a purchase, you should invest in a redesign.
Conclusion
All in all, if you find that it is time for a website redesign, do not panic. Instead, use this as an opportunity to modernize yourself and your brand. You can turn something as frustrating as a website redesign into an incredible opportunity for growth for your business.
Here at Makarios Marketing, we redesign websites for businesses and brands all the time. Check out our work and reach out to see if we’re a fit.