Here are 5 situations when we can honestly recommend a client re-design his or her site.
1. Your current site is not responsive.
It’s 2015 and mobile web browsing isn’t going anywhere but up. If you’re still rolling with your desktop-only website from 5-8 years ago that causes users to painfully pinch and zoom to navigate, then it’s time to bite the bullet and redesign. Depending on the nature of your site, we’ll often times take a “mobile-up” approach to designing, meaning we conceive what the site will look like on a smartphone and tablet before developing the conventional desktop design to ensure all content is properly visible and user experience is seamless.
2. Your current website lacks a content management system
If you’re tech savvy enough to manage your Facebook page, you should be able to make simple changes to your website without having to call a professional. Older sites built in HTML (or God forbid, Flash) can only be edited by those with knowledge of the programming language they were originally coded in. We love handing off websites to clients that allow them to easily make text changes and write blog posts without any special code knowledge. The ability to inject fresh, tagged content into one’s site is a great way to boost search rankings and build a brand voice.
We feel that WordPress, and specifically the Genesis framework, offer the best combination of ease of use and search engine optimization and recommend all new websites be built on this platform. With that being said, we’re happy to work with other content management systems from Drupal to Magento
3. Your website has no relationship to your other marketing materials
Consistency is key to cohesive branding. Your website, logo, print materials and even retail space should be working in harmony to give clientele a consistent vision of your company and brand. If you hired a brilliant designer to create a wonderful logo for your business that is currently stuck on to a free website template, chances are it looks pretty out of place. We are a full-service web and graphic design firm and love working on a client’s full brand from logo to website and even language, however, we are happy to play nice with existing marketing materials to create a consistent image for your company, online and elsewhere.
4. Your bounce rate is sky-high
Google Analytics is a free and relatively easy way to track your website’s performance from how long people visit to what they clicked on to get there. One statistic Google Analytics serves up immediately upon logging in is your website’s bounce rate i.e. the percentage of visitors who enter the site and “bounce” (leave the site) rather than continue viewing other pages.
If the majority of people who visit your site are leaving immediately, chances are you’re not grabbing their attention properly, or perhaps, they’re confused by the user experience that’s been laid before them. Before redesigning an existing site, we check its Google Analytics reports to see what the site is lacking and how we might avoid similar pitfalls in the new design.
5. You want to sell through your site
People have been shopping online for a long time now. It’s hard to believe that Ebay was founded September 3rd, 1995, nearly 20 years ago! Since those earliest days of ecommerce, people have gotten smarter about shopping online. With scams and security breaches rampant, people will only likely complete a transaction if the site they’re purchasing from looks and actually is secure.
A website that means to sell must be optimized to do so, from having a shopping cart that’s readily available for the user to click on at all times to a secure payment gateway that safeguards sensitive information. An ecommerce website should look the part so the consumer can purchase with confidence and not have to worry about whether or not the seller is serious or if this is just an idea they’re “trying out”. Should your site be a great success, you’ll also want to make sure you’re not using a service that takes chunks of your revenue in processing fees. Whenever someone’s money is involved, a deliberate seamless experience is always expected.
Please check back next week when we go over 5 reasons we would not recommend a website redesign. Thanks for reading!