10 Signs That Your Business Needs a Website Redesign

In today’s digital landscape, your company’s website is the very first impression that prospective customers will have of your business. As your most powerful marketing tool, this is the initial place they will inevitably visit in order to learn more about your products and services and, ultimately, determine whether they want to do business with your organization.

It goes without saying that a responsive, mobile-friendly website with a modern design is key to any digital marketing strategy. No matter what kind of marketing tactics your business has in place, the ultimate goal will likely be the same—to drive visitors back to your website. Because the world of website development is a rapidly evolving space, it’s important to employ regular site maintenance and re-assess the design, functionality and content of your website every few years. This will help your business stay on top of the latest best practices, as well as avoid any unexpected issues or poor performance that inevitably result from an outdated site.

Below are 10 red flags that your company’s website is in serious need of a redesign:

1. Your Website is Not Mobile Friendly

As of 2021, 56% of global website traffic comes from a mobile device, meaning the vast majority of individuals who view your website will do so on their phones, as opposed to desktop computers or tablets.

A mobile-friendly website automatically changes its layout based on the device being used, ensuring an ideal user experience. It tends to include elements such as readable text that does not require zoom, adequate space for tap targets and no horizontal scrolling.

Back in 2015, Google announced that its algorithm would rank mobile-friendly websites higher than non-mobile-friendly sites when configuring search results. This automatically gives mobile-friendly websites a leg up when it comes to visibility on search engines.

If your website isn’t mobile friendly, this not only ensures a poor user experience for the majority of your website traffic, but it also limits the number of potential visitors who will be able to find and browse your site.

2. Your Website Has a High Bounce Rate

When it comes to website analytics, a “bounce” refers to a single-page session on a site. So, the bounce rate is a percentage calculated by dividing the number of single-page sessions by the number of total sessions on your website. According to a study conducted by RocketFuel, the average website bounce rate is between 40-55%.

Bounce rate is a very important metric when examining your website. If your website has a bounce rate of 56 % or greater, this could be an indication that users are finding your website difficult to navigate, experiencing technical errors, or that your website features low-quality and/or under-optimized content from an SEO perspective. A high bounce rate is also alarming because it could reveal that visitors are leaving your website and going to a competitor to get the service they desire.

3. Your Website is Slow to Load

Today’s website visitor fully expects a fast user experience, which means it is essential for your website to load nearly instantaneously. According to a study conducted by Google, 53% of visitors abandon a site if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Additionally, Portent found that a website’s conversation rate drops nearly 5% on average with each additional second of load time.

Slow website load speeds can also impact your search engine ranking. Google has incorporated the ability to test the speed of a website within its algorithm. If your website scores poorly, it can negatively impact its visibility in search results.

4. Your Website Has Broken Links

Broken links, also known as dead links, are detrimental to your website’s overall user experience. We have all experienced the navigation of a website where we click on a link for more information, only to be met by the dreaded 404 error page. Broken links not only lead to a higher bounce rate, but they can also negatively impact your SEO.

In order to check if your website has any broken links, you can enter your website’s URL at brokenlinkcheck.com. It will reveal whether your site contains broken links that may negatively impact user experience.

5. Your Website Doesn’t Match Your Brand

If your website no longer matches your company’s brand, then it is definitely time for a redesign. With users making their decision to stay or leave a site at lightning speed, it is vital to ensure your brand is shining through on every page. From the logo to the font being used, every aspect of your website must properly reflect your brand, your company’s mission and the services you provide.

6. Your Website Contains Outdated Content

A website redesign and content upgrade often go together. It’s not surprising that a website with outdated content will struggle to attract and retain visitors. In fact, according to a study conducted by HubSpot, companies that publish 16 new pages of content a month attract more than three times the amount of traffic than companies that produce no new content.

Taking the time to simply refresh your website with up-to-date content at least monthly will increase your site’s search engine ranking, improve the overall quality of your website and optimize the user experience—ultimately compelling visitors to return back for more.

7. Your Website is Difficult to Navigate

Navigation can affect nearly every aspect of your website’s performance—from its search engine ranking and bounce rate, to the overall user experience. When a user visits your website, they should be able to find specific pieces of content as easily as possible. If it is difficult or confusing to navigate your website, visitors will be less likely to stay on your site and will not continue to engage with your business.

As a best practice, it’s a good idea to periodically browse your company’s website as if you are a typical visitor. Try to find a specific type of content by clicking on your site’s navigation links. If you are unable to easily find that content within a few clicks, then it is probably time to update your website with improved navigation.

8. Your Website Features an Outdated Design

Did you know that 94% of negative website feedback is design related? Your website is the gateway to building relationships with potential customers. However, if your website’s design is outdated, it can negatively impact not only their first impression, but also their overall user experience.

Typically, a business website should be updated every two to three years. If some time has passed since your last redesign, it may be time to evaluate whether your site still matches the needs of your customers. As new features emerge and best practices evolve over time, the design and functionality of a website should be upgraded to match.

9. It’s Difficult to Make Updates

You shouldn’t need to be a website developer in order to make simple content or design updates to your site—such as adding a blog post or changing a product description. If your website is built on a platform that is difficult to manage or requires assistance from a third-party vendor to make even the simplest updates, it is time to consider a new website that is designed on an intuitive, easy-to-use content management system.

10. Your Website Isn’t Optimized for SEO

When your website is not ranking well on search engines, it is bad for business. In order for your website to move up in the search results, you must perform on-page search engine optimization (SEO) across your site. This in turn improves the quality and quantity of your website traffic—ultimately leading to more site visitors and allowing your business to achieve a higher search engine ranking.