Hi everyone! Before you continue with this blog I want to thank @Jo Portland on linked in for giving me the idea for this blog.
Introduction
Have you ever looked for online services and landed on a website that clearly looks like it was last updated in the 1990s? If so, did you feel more likely or less likely to purchase from them after looking at their website? If you said less likely to purchase from them, about 81% of people, according to Goodfirm, would agree with you. A website that clearly has an outdated layout or features doesn’t just look bad, but it also causes the company behind it to lose trust and credibility from potential customers. Now more than ever, with about 68% or 5.44 billion people in the world being internet users, it’s vital for companies and people to stay up to date and maintain their website, as it very well might open those opportunities you’re looking for. My blog here is looking to educate you on the matters of outdated websites to make sure your site isn’t holding you back, I’ll be going over five key indicators that will tell you if it’s likely time for a redesign.
Slow Load Speed
Slow load speeds can drastically cause users to leave a website. In our world today, most people expect things to be instant, especially when it’s something so simple, such as browsing the WEB. According to statistics by Google, the bounce rates from a website that takes 1 second to load compared to 3 are approximately 32%. Slow-loading sites not only cause potential customers to push away but also push away users in general. Websites with slower loading speeds have been known to negatively impact SEO, which causes the website to show up less in search rankings. A few reasons why a website typically has load speed issues are because of plugins, long code, or uncompressed images. There are many tools that can tell you if you’re load speed is slow, such as PageSpeed Insight and Pingdom, If, after testing your website, it’s in the red, it might be time for a redesign.
Outdated Website Design
Website design trends are just like any other trends, and by that I mean it’s constantly changing. A website design that may have looked sleek and professional in the 2000s, now, to most people, it may look wonky and untrustworthy. A website design should consist of engaging visuals with meaningful information. If your website has large walls of text without proper text hierarchy, it might be time for a redesign. Whether you like it or not, a website’s design is a reflection of the company it’s for to most people. Stanford did a study on the correlation between website design and user trust in the brand, and they found that about 75% of users judge a business’s credibility based on its website design. As you can see, website design is vital for user trust and credibility, so if you know you’re website needs a redesign, run, don’t walk.
Security Issues
If your website hasn’t had any major security updates in a while, it is most likely at risk of cyberattacks. Just like most things on the internet, exploits and hacks are ever evolving, so it’s important to update and redesign security consistently to maintain a safe website for your business and your customers. Without regular security updates, businesses risk getting their websites infected with malware and data breaches, causing them to not only lose money in fixing the damages but also credibility. Redesigning a website can give businesses the perfect opportunity to implement new cybersecurity measures to ensure their website is secure.
Responsiveness
Data from Google Shows that over 60% of searches are made through mobile devices, yet many older business websites still aren’t properly accessible for phones and other devices. Website responsiveness isn’t just about changing the layout so it accommodates the device, but it’s also about changing back-end settings such as SEO and front-end things such as readability to really show your users that you care. There are many tools out there that can help let you know if you’re website is responsive enough or not, such as Responsive Test Tool and UI.Dev. A responsive design will not only help you by putting you in higher search results and increasing engagement on your website, but it will also boost your credibility and customer base by making your website accessible to all devices.
Brand Reflection
Many businesses grow and evolve, causing them to rebrand and change their image, but if you’re evolving, so should your website, as it represents you. For instance, if you change your brand’s logo, color scheme, or even mission, you should also change your website to reflect that, as it could cause your customers to be misinformed. If a customer or user were to look at your site and see old services, offers, and images, it could impact how they see your business, leading to miscommunication on both sides. Redesigning your website after a rebrand lets your site align with your beliefs and keeps your digital presence alive.
Conclusion
If you have noticed any of these signs on your website, it may be just about time to get it redesigned and modernized. In today’s world, a website isn’t just a convenient place to display information and let others know about your business, but it’s also a top market now with over 4 billion people worldwide shopping and viewing businesses. As a Web developer and designer, I’ve seen and helped businesses transform their outdated websites into modern and reliable viewing and shopping experiences that work to help them instead of against them. I’m offering free website evaluations to help you identify any outdated or unresponsive features on your website, so if you’re interested in looking for areas of improvement, feel free to contact me. No pressure, no obligation, just honest feedback and solutions to help you improve your website.