It is hard to pinpoint the right time for a business to undertake this process, for most organisations a website will last until it is no longer effective – and it will be no longer effective when customers, technology and business strategies change.
Redesign does not mean rebrand
Regular content updates, such as blogs, new product details, images or graphical additions, can be vital components in maintaining website effectiveness. Even when the time comes to redesign business websites, a complete overhaul of every single element is not usually required.
More often, modifications that help your website work better and are aligned to your marketing goals are the changes that deliver results.
An effective redesign comes from a more in-depth understanding of why the existing site is no longer delivering to KPIs. If a website is no longer an effective lead generation tool, then it is worth taking the time to consider how visitors have changed, how technology has changed and how your business has changed too.
Change in Customer Expectations
The first impression most visitors have of your business comes almost exclusively from your website. Consumers can be highly impatient with sites that are non-responsive, slow to load and lack relevant easy-to-navigate content.
Decline in Search Traffic and Conversion Rate
Visitor expectations keep increasing, so unless your website keeps improving, conversion rates tend to decline. A site that is tough to navigate, has slow load times, or is unnecessarily complex can cost you valuable leads.
Slow loading times
It is critical not to underestimate the importance of speed. 58% of mobile users say they expect their mobile website to load almost as fast to even faster than the experience they get on their desktop browser.
Redesigning a website with faster load speeds in mind, amplifies visitor engagement and retention, helps you connect better with prospects and increases the likelihood of converting them into buyers.
Customers and consumers are no longer willing to wait for your valuable content. If you don’t have the lightning-quick speed they want, they’ll go somewhere else.
What are your competitors doing?
When your visitors do go somewhere else, most likely it is straight to your competitors. Keeping a close view of what competitors are doing with their websites, allows you to learn from both their successes and failures.
The goal of any analysis is to discover opportunities to improve your own website.
We also provide a dedicated service for Plumbing and Heating companies check out our Internet Marketing services from Plumber Leads today.
Changes in Technology
Technology is continuing to change the way we view digital marketing. As customers spend more time on mobiles, tablets and laptops, the challenge for businesses is to be able to connect with them through all these devices, in real time, and to create campaigns that work across multiple platforms, to deliver higher conversion rates.
Mobile Responsive
Responsive website designs are now a must for all digital marketing efforts, and the shift towards small-screen optimisation is continually evolving. Since responsive design has been around for a few years, any website that is not responsive not only looks old, but is actively ignoring half their potential audience.
In summary
Whilst it is extremely important for any business to have an up-to-date, easy-to-use, responsive website, the primary reason to redevelop it’s online presence has to come from a sound business case.
Many businesses understand the importance of a user-friendly site and can easily see the problems with their current one, but are unsure when to start the process.
Your website is, in effect, a 24-hour salesperson. Changes continue to occur in business, in technology and in customer expectations. When they do, there is often no substitute for a full website redesign or technology overhaul, to keep pace.
