Every now and then websites need to be refreshed and updated with today’s technology. You probably already know this since you are here! However, simply having your site overhauled won’t boost sales but it will provide a better service and overall experience for your customers. So how do we tell if your site needs an overhaul? We have put together a little checklist if your site has most of these chances are you’ll need a redesign.
Mobile Responsive.
The big one! Everyone mentions it and there is a good reason a large percentage of users now access websites using a mobile device, it’s quick and easy. Your website needs to have either a responsive theme or a mobile version of your existing website. This will enable users to get information quickly and easily in a readable format just for mobile. Being mobile friendly also holds some weight on google so it’s an advantage over your competitors.
Hard to find contact details.
Is it hard to find your contact details? Users love that personal approach and having your phone number or a contact button near the footer or header of a website gives the user a sense that they can just pick up the phone call you instantly. For mobile, making these numbers clickable is a bonus!
Outdated Design.
Do you think WOW when you open your site? The design isn’t everything with websites but if your site looks a bit plain and uninteresting and has no eye-catching images or design elements, users may think you’ve just thrown it up to make some quick cash. Poorly designed websites give a lack of trust. Make sure all text is easy to read and spaced out with big powerful images. Your site should be sleek and easy to use. Try to stay away from big blocks of colour that draw the eye away from whats important to your users.
Content is not engaging.
No one likes to read huge pages of content. Make sure you break this up with images, videos, and links to other useful information make your content engaging and easy to read. Users are there to get the information they require make it easy for them to get this.
Messy navigation
Your navigations should be clean and users should be able to get to where they need to be in 2 clicks. If you have an over cultured navigation its probably time to change it. You can try this yourself, pick a page and see how long it takes to get to it. If you feel like its a hassle it needs changing.
Poor code and not Optimised.
It may be a little difficult to spot this on your own so asking your hosting provider or someone in the know is a great way to find out. The tidy clean code makes your site easier to make changes, improves speed and Google loves a well-written website. All Javascript and CSS should be in one file (unless using libraries) and compressed to give the best overall performance. Don’t place CSS and Javascript in HTML, make sure that all scripts and styles are within an external file.
Lack of interesting Videos
Videos within websites are getting more and more common whether this is a background video within a slider, tutorials on how to use your products or a brief presentation about your company. It’s important to keep the user engaged and keep them on your site. Having even a 2-3 minute video within the content that’s relevant will add more value to the point you are trying to get across.
Your site runs slow
Slow load times lead to users leaving, Your site should be optimized for speed and should be lightweight when served to mobile users. Ideally, your load time for each page should be under 2 seconds. If your website takes longer than this to load, it will cause customers to leave your website.
While some of these changes won’t boost sales or ranking straight away its good to look after your website so your users get a better experience, stay long and keep your bounce rate down. Don’t neglect your website put the time in to make it the best it can be.
If you need any help or are unsure whether a redesign would be best for you, drop us a call or email and we can audit your site for you and give you a few tips to help you along.
