Website redesign isn’t cheap, but after years of the same interface you might be ready for a layout and design overhaul. How often should a website be redesigned? There’s no set answer, but there are some good reasons for a redesign.
Website Design Trends
Your website might seem out of date when compared to current design trends. It’s important for a website to look good so the design layout targets your demographic. A website’s presentation can make or break a sale because your design reflects your company’s image. It should be attractive to your target audience.
Online design trends change just like any fad or fashion. If you look at current trends, you see a lot of white space, round corners, and stylized elements. Most web designers call this style Web2.0. Each website is different, and they need a unique design to compliment their function.
You can compare a website’s look and feel to the latest car models. Most car brands release a new model every 2 years. The new model will always look more striking, run more smoothly, and will probably be faster. It’s much the same with newer websites. An out of date website, or older model car, might still get you from point A to point B, but the new model will perform better.
Ways to Tell if a Website Redesign is Needed
Maybe your website isn’t converting as many goals as you’d hoped. Goal conversion can be a sale, a sign-up, or inquiry. Your goal is whatever you’d like your visitors to do once they get to your site. A number of things contribute to poor goal conversion. A confusing layout distracts website visitors, or it will frustrate them if it simply doesn’t work, but fortunately website redesign addresses these issues.
Search engine rankings are the most important factor in achieving sales from your website. You may have the best looking website, and an efficient goal-funneling process, but without traffic your website is useless. Website redesign might help more people find you.
Search engine compliance is one of the main things a website owner needs to pay attention to. If your site doesn’t stick to the best practices or guidelines of search engines, it’s best to revamp the website to ensure compliance. Search engine compliance takes priority over design and layout. Businesses spend hundreds of dollars to optimize their website for Search Engines, but many spend thousands to correct mistakes that led to their downfall in search engines. Where search engine ranking is concerned, it’s best to ensure your website follows all requirements.
It’s normal for programming languages to evolve. Upgrade websites built with older programming languages. Otherwise, hackers can explore weaknesses. The HTML standards used at the turn of the century have mostly been replaced. If the codes on your website are outdated, it may cause lower rankings in search engines, for example, visitors on mobile devices may have a hard time navigating your website. The latest HTML5 and CSS3 standards incorporate features for efficient use of system resources, while reducing duplication of coding. If your website uses old HTML code, it will not validate with the latest standards, and will fail in many newer browsers, so the best option is to upgrade your entire site with the latest CSS scripting techniques.
With the popularity of tablet PCs, and internet-enabled smartphones, there’s a need for responsive design to enhance the site visitor’s experience on those devices. Most websites don’t have any special accommodations for viewing on mobile devices. Not many webmasters even know to optimize the site for smaller screens. And many who are aware of this take shortcuts by using software and scripts to “mobify” their website. All it takes are some modification in CSS, subsequently, it’s best to make a mobile website specifically designed for those devices and browsers, if you’re interested in serving up quality content on phones and tablets.
