You may have been operating your business out of the same physical address for years, but it’s unlikely that you’ve kept the same layout, furniture, and decor the entire time. It’s important to keep this in mind when you find yourself asking, “Why get a new website when I already have one that works just fine?”
Your current site may seem like it’s working fine, but a closer look would reveal that your online presence is begging for an update!
What is the Point of Having a Website?
A well-designed and developed website is one of the most powerful marketing tools that business owners can invest in to reach and leave a lasting impact on potential customers.
Why is a New Website Important?
Nearly half of users cite website design as the #1 factor in deciding whether a business is credible or not, which means that having a website simply is not enough. If business owners want to make the most of their digital marketing efforts, having an attractive, easy-to-navigate website is crucial. For business owners, this means updating your website should be a top priority.
What Are the Benefits of Redesigning a Website?
Between improved load times and freshly updated content, the benefits of investing in quality web development are far and wide. Refreshing your online presence will also allow you to:
- Maintain a competitive industry advantage
- Streamline your brand identity
- Improve search engine rankings and site performance
- Reduce long-term digital marketing costs
Why Do I Need a Website Refresh in 2021?
With the benefits outlined above in mind, let’s look at some common reasons why it’s time for you to start the process of updating your website.
1. Your Website is Outdated
Anything built more than three years ago is considered an older website by today’s standards. As technology rapidly expands and we see more and more advanced features and functionalities become available, your online presence is suffering if you’re not staying on top of the latest trends in web development.
Aside from functionality, your design is likely outdated as well, which doesn’t do you any favors when it comes to leaving a lasting impression on potential customers. As a rule of thumb, if your site looks bad to you, it looks bad to your audience, and you’re past due for an update.
2. Your Content is Not Optimized for Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are quickly overtaking desktop computers as our primary tools for browsing the web, so a mobile-friendly design should be on your list of non-negotiables when working on updating your website. A responsive or adaptive website design is good, but an optimized, mobile-friendly site is even better!
3. Your Current Design Doesn’t Prioritize User Experience
The problems that stem from a poorly designed user experience are as far-reaching as the benefits of an updated website. If your navigation is based on outdated best practices, it’s time for an update. If visitors can’t find what they’re looking for in two clicks or less, it’s time for an update. If you’re using flashy plugins that cause slow loading pages without improving the overall user experience, it’s time for an update.
Today’s users demand efficiency, so it’s your job (or rather, your web development team’s job) to give it to them!
4. Your Load Time is Slow
A slow-loading website isn’t just an annoyance that causes potential customers to leave your site—although 40% of users will leave if your page takes longer than three seconds to load. Load time also affects your search engine ranking. There are a lot of things that could be causing your slow load times, but some common reasons include:
- Images aren’t optimized
- Too many redirects
- Too many plugins
- Slow server response time
5. You’ve Updated Your Branding
If you’ve recently given your brand a facelift, now is the best time to apply those changes to your website and really wow your customers!
More than any other time, a re-brand is the perfect opportunity to make a splash by giving your online presence the full treatment—starting with a new website design that complements your updated brand identity and takes advantage of the latest web development trends proven to help your small business reach its goals.
6. Your Website Content is Inconsistent
Starting with your digital doorstep, consistency is key to ensuring your brand awareness efforts are working to their full effect. Things to keep an eye out for when reviewing updated content for consistency include:
- Fonts and typography
- Image use
- Colors
- Page formatting
- Navigation structure
7. You Have a High Bounce Rate
No matter how much time and money you’re pouring into your digital marketing efforts, if potential customers are leaving your homepage or landing page as soon as they enter, you’ve got a problem. A high bounce rate indicates that there’s something wrong. Whether the issue lies with your content, navigation options, or overall website design, you’ll benefit from updating your website with the help of a professional who specializes in user experience (UX) design.
8. You Do Not Appear in Search Engine Rankings
If your content isn’t ranking in search results, don’t blame the search engines. You might not be doing everything you can to optimize your page. A few questions to ask in regard to search engine ranking factors when updating your website include:
- Do I have a blog with carefully curated keywords?
- Am I staying relevant with regularly updated content?
- Is my design mobile-friendly, and does it highlight the most important content for mobile users?
9. You’re Ready to Expand Your Online Presence
If you’re ready to expand your small business by opening an online storefront, refreshing your web content isn’t just a good idea—it’s crucial.
Like we’ve mentioned before, your website has a huge impact on brand positioning (how potential customers view your brand). It doesn’t matter how great your products and services are; they’re worthless if audiences aren’t finding and engaging with the content.
10. Your Content is Not Secure
Data privacy is becoming increasingly important as more of our lives move online, and if you have an older website that relies on outdated technology, you face an increased risk of experiencing a security breach and exposing users’ sensitive information.
Give users peace of mind by ensuring your site is using up-to-date technology that meets today’s security standards.
11. You’re Not Attracting the Right Audience
If your website isn’t bringing in quality leads, it’s time to consider a website redesign.
Your website should highlight the products you’re trying to sell or the services you offer. This sounds obvious enough, but many small business owners who try and handle their own web development end up promoting the wrong content for the audience they’re trying to reach.
If you feel like you’re too close to your business to see it from an outside perspective, it can be beneficial to bring in someone from outside your industry to gain insight into the information potential customers are looking for.
12. Your Conversion Rate is Low
Poor conversion rates can result from a combination of factors, but no matter how you spin it, they’re a mark of ineffective marketing. Whether you’re getting your landing pages in front of the wrong audience or the right audience finds your website difficult to navigate, you’re missing out on potential customers, and you’ve got to make a change if you want to see your business thrive.
13. Your Website Looks Like It Was Designed by an Amateur
Last but certainly not least, if your website looked like it was part of an Introduction to Website Design & Web Development student portfolio, it’s past time to give your brand the attention it deserves and invest in professional digital marketing services.
You wouldn’t trust your bookkeeping to an unqualified accountant, right? So why should your website be any different? (Hint: It shouldn’t!)
Ready to See if Your Website Passes the Test—for FREE?!
Still wondering, “Why get a new website for my business when this one seems good enough as it is?” Let us show you!
Our team of experts at Versa Creative will perform a free website audit to show you the gaps you’re missing and the ways your current website is working against you and your business goals. And if our free audit shows you that it is, in fact, time to update your website, our web development team and UX designers have the experience needed to bring your outdated website into the modern age! Contact us to start improving your website today!
