How a New Website Can Benefit Your Business
Your website is one of your most valuable digital assets – a virtual storefront, marketing powerhouse and the first impression many potential customers will have of your brand.
But what happens when your current website stops working in your favour?
In our years of experience, a poorly performing website will do more harm than good to your business:
- Driving away potential customer enquiries to slicker competitors
- A gradual decline in rankings as search engines evolve and move the goal posts
- Not supporting your overall business goals
If your site feels outdated, loads far too slowly, isn’t mobile friendly (a must!), struggles to keep users on the page or simply isn’t delivering results as it once did then these could be signs it’s time for a new website.
Signs It’s Time for a Website Re-Design
You have an Outdated Design
Website design trends constantly evolve, shaped by advances in technology, user preferences (particularly around mobile and video) and changing design aesthetics too.
We’ve heard some in the web industry say that you should look to re-design your website approximately every 2-3 years, though this isn’t feasible for everyone. Something else to consider is to give your website a more significant refresh every couple of years or at least have it constructively reviewed.
Site visitors will also associate the appearance of your website with the quality of your brand, meaning that an outdated looking site is going to negatively impact the credibility of your brand and how people see your company.
A website that looks old fashioned or too cluttered might signal to potential customers that your brand is out of touch or stagnant and drive potential business to your competitors who have invested in a new slicker looking website.
Poor User Experience
Good User Experience (UX) design is essential to the performance of your website. If your website hasn’t been designed with users in mind, then this can have a significant impact on how well it performs.
Poor user experience includes elements like:
- Over-complicated site navigation
- Messaging un-aligned to the user’s needs
- Websites that aren’t optimised for mobile devices
- Slow to load
- Lack of calls to action
- Inconsistent visual design
- Inaccessible to a good deal of users
We explored the 10 principles of UX design and how this can improve visitor engagement in a recent blog, so do give it a read if you want to better understand the importance of user experience design.
A Mobile-First Design is Crucial
In today’s digital landscape, mobile devices dominate and have become the main method for browsing online and online shopping. This shift in user behaviour demands a fundamental change in the approach to a mobile-first design.
Ensuring your website is designed for a mobile screen size first, and then other designs for desktops or tablets are expanded out from there. From the start of a re-design you take mobile into account first, instead of leaving it to last and squeezing content down in size to work for a mobile.
Not only should your website look great on a mobile device screen, it should also take into account the website navigation and structure, enabling users to fulfil their goals and easily find and retrieve information.
Making your website difficult for mobile users is a killer to conversions!
Low Conversion Rates
Are you getting traffic to your website but not getting the enquiries or sales you require?
Are people landing on your site but “bouncing” quickly? You can check your Google Analytics to understand how long people are staying on your site, if you’re not sure then give us a call to talk it through.
Are visitors abandoning their shopping carts part way through an e-commerce order? Are people reaching your contact page but not completing an enquiry?
These are usually the signs that you have potential design flaws with your website. Yes, issues may be easily rectified with a few simple fixes instead of a full website re-design but these could also form part of wider issues.
When your website’s lead generation and sales conversion rates decline, it’s crucial to take a systematic approach to diagnose and resolve the issues. Consider these strategic steps:
Diagnostic Actions
- Conduct a comprehensive website performance audit
- Analyse current conversion metrics
- Identify potential barriers in user experience
- Review website design, functionality, and content relevance
Potential Solutions
1. Website Redesign
- Modern, responsive design
- Improved user interface
- Enhanced mobile compatibility
2. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
- A/B testing
- Streamlined navigation
- Clear call-to-action elements
- Compelling content strategy
3. Technical Improvements
- Faster page load speeds
- Improved SEO optimisation
- Enhanced security features
- Improved analytics tracking & reporting
Difficult Content Updates
You have probably heard this phrase for years and years, but it continues to be relevant – content is king.
Importantly you should also be keeping your website content up to date frequently, whether you:
- Optimise your site content for SEO
- Keep products, pricing and service offerings up to date
- Keep your site fresh with new, insightful blog content
- Keep your content aligned with your brand voice
If your website doesn’t have a content management system (CMS) or has one which is difficult to use and update, then this is a sure fire sign you need a new website.
Nothing frustrates website owners more than having to go back to their developer every time a change is needed to the website, typically with a cost attached. With a CMS you can easily learn how to change your own site content if you don’t need to outsource website update to a digital agency.
Incompatibility with New Technology
An outdated website can struggle to keep up with modern technology and therefore impact its performance, as well as security.
This can include:
Outdated plugins on WordPress sites – old plugins can cause your site to crash, perform slowly and add security vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit. This could be resolved with website maintenance. But if untrusted and old plugins are essential to run your website, then it could now be time for a website upgrade.
Security risks – older websites can lack modern safeguards, leaving them vulnerable to breaches, malware and loss of customer trust as a result of potential security breaches.
Lack of integration – if your site doesn’t work with essential tools like CRMs, marketing platforms or modern payment systems, then without a doubt it is going to hold your business back.
The Benefits of a Website Re-Design
If any of the above points ring true to you but you haven’t decided whether you can justify the investment, then stop to think about these benefits.
A website re-design isn’t just about a visual update – it is an investment in your business’ success. Key benefits can include:
Improved User Experience and Engagement – a user-friendly website keeps visitors more engaged and encourages them to explore further. A new website should focus on UX design principles, ensuring users have a seamless and enjoyable experience across all devices. Happy users are more likely to become loyal customers.
Better SEO Rankings – search engines prioritise modern, optimised websites. A re-design (with a developer who understands the importance of SEO for a website build) can improve your site’s SEO by addressing factors like:
- Faster page speed
- Mobile-friendliness
- Clean code
- Structured content
With better rankings, you’ll attract more organic traffic and increase your visibility to potential customers.
Increased Conversions – a website re-design can help you optimise key elements like calls-to-action (CTAs), checkout processes and lead forms, making it easier for visitors to convert into customers. In our experience improved design and functionality leads to higher engagement and better ROI, typically anything from 20% or more.
Future-Proofing Your Website – technology is always evolving so a re-design ensures your website is built with the latest tools and standards at that time. This minimises the need for near constant fixes and makes it easier to integrate new features, keeping your website relevant and adaptable for years to come.
Enhanced Branding – your website is often the first interaction customers have with your brand. A re-design allows you to better align your site’s look and feel with your current branding, creating a cohesive and professional image that builds trust and reinforces your identity.
Improved Security – a new website ensures you are equipped with the latest security measures, protecting both your business and your customers from potential threats. Secure websites also rank higher in search engines and foster user trust.
Competitive Edge – in a crowded digital marketplace, a modern and high-performing website helps you stand out. By addressing functionality, design and user expectations, a re-designed website positions your business as innovative and customer focused.
Steps to Take Before Re-Designing Your Website
If we have managed to convince you that a new website could be on the cards, then there are some steps we would recommend you take before even starting the process of finding the right website designer:
- Conduct a website audit – if you aren’t 100% sure that a new website is needed but you know your website isn’t performing the way you want it to, then investing in a website audit can help you understand how your website is performing and what visual, technical, SEO and content changes are required to improve your website’s performance.
- Identify your goals and prioritise features – any good website designer will ask you what are your looking for your website to achieve and what functionality do you require? Understanding, even some of this before you get quotes can help make the process quicker and more efficient.
- Research competitors and trends – have a look at your competitor’s websites and trends in your industry. Website developers will want to know if you have any sites that you do or don’t look and looking into your competitors will give you something to benchmark a new site against.
Don’t worry if any of the above sounds outside of your remit. Yes, a website build is a partnership between business and developer to get your vision to become reality. But if you need help with the technical aspects or any of the above then just reach out for support for a professional.
Do You Need a Website Re-Design?
If you are in need of a website re-design or would like our team to offer a professional opinion on whether your website is truly up to scratch then let’s start with a free, no-obligation conversation today.
Email: hello@allthingsweb.co.uk
Call: 01285 50 55 50