What to consider when redesigning your website? Websites today don’t look the same as they did 10 years ago. In fact, they’ve changed dramatically even in the last few years. You can easily tell when a website is outdated, and it can put you off from staying on the site and making a purchase. Old designs, cheesy stock images, and information that isn’t correct or relevant are telltale signs that the business hasn’t updated its website in a while, and they aren’t putting its best efforts into maintaining its best marketing tool.
What to consider when redesigning your website:
If you think your website might be outdated, there are a few things to consider before launching straight into a new website design. To ensure your new design is as efficient and generates leads, you should be considering some important aspects.
1. Accessibility
The most common reason for updating your website is the fact that websites get old, and old websites often have accessibility issues.
Common accessibility issues include:
- Outdated software that isn’t working anymore (like Flash)
- Difficult-to-exit pop-ups or advertisements
- Slow page speeds are common accessibility issues that will cause your users to leave the page before finding the info they need.
These issues cost you leads and clients, as your potential customers are leaving your site for a competitor’s more accessible website.
Slow page speeds and pop-ups can affect your SEO too, meaning that your outdated features are costing you those all-important top spots on the Google Search Engine Pages (SERPs). Google won’t hesitate to penalise you for slow speeds, because user-friendly websites are a priority for them. They want to put websites at the top that users will love and have a pleasant time exploring.
This counts for pop-ups too, as Google has recently started penalising for those annoying pop-ups that interrupt the user’s experience before they’ve even had a chance to look around.
2. Navigation
If your site plan was developed a while ago, you may need to rethink the way that users navigate and explore your site. User habits change over time, and what once was an easy-to-navigate website might now be confusing and cluttered. As more content and pages are added, it can be hard to categorise content in an organised and meaningful manner, and this is when you might need to reconsider how your content is laid out across your website.
Looking at your site analytics is a great way of evaluating your current navigation system. By assessing user flows and popular pages, you can figure out if your users are finding exactly what they need, or if they are getting stuck often and leaving your page quickly. The reality is, if your user doesn’t find an answer to their question in a couple of clicks, they are likely to leave and look elsewhere – leaving you handing out views to your competitors. To make sure your website is easy to navigate, check if your users can find what they are looking for easily and make sure your menu items and categories are relevant and organised.
3. Branding
Another common reason for a website redesign is a change in branding – for example, an updated logo or colour palette. If your website today doesn’t reflect your brand and its visual identity, then it’s definitely time to consider a new design.
Branding is important within websites because it helps your user recognise your business, feel secure about your products or services, and relate to your business through your visual identity and brand story. All of your marketing collateral should be consistently branded, from print materials to social media graphics, and your website is no exception.
For example, if the Starbucks website didn’t contain the iconic logo, green colouring, and fresh, professional coffee imagery, would you be sure it was the Starbucks website – or maybe an imposter? In 2022, where scams and imitations are rife, customers should be absolutely certain that this website belongs to your business and that they can trust you with their purchases and personal details.
To make sure your website is utilising your business branding correctly, you should consider:
- Is your logo up to date and professionally displayed?
- Are the colours throughout your site consistent with your brand?
- Do both the imagery and content reflect your brand and its values today?
- If you own a physical business such as a café or a bakery, could a buyer relate your website to your physical location?
4. Content
When thinking about what to consider when redesigning your website, content should be a large part of the redesign plan. Content is all of the text, images, and videos that serve to inform and educate your user about your product or service and keep them on your website for longer.
Aside from looking nice and allowing users to contact you, your website should give your users the information that they need and answer any questions they might have about your business.
You should frequently review the content on your website and consider whether it is accurate and relevant today, and decide if there is extra information you could add to help your buyer make their purchase decision. If you feel like a lot of your content is outdated, or you have a lot you need to add, a website redesign might be a viable decision to keep your website up-to-date. This way, you can plan and keep track of your content, then release it to your newly updated website.
5. Content marketing
Content marketing is a growing part of business marketing plans in 2023. If you aren’t currently investing energy into content marketing like blogging, you may want to discuss the benefits of having a blog integrated into your website, and consider a subsequent redesign to attract your users to your blog. If you already have a blog, you should check whether your content marketing efforts are still relevant today and are connecting with your target audience as intended
6. Platform/CMS
If you have been using your website for a while, you might realise that your current CMS platform or website host doesn’t have all the features you need. For example, you might not be happy with the blogging features that your current CMS provides and you’re looking to switch to a more blog-friendly platform such as WordPress.
If you feel you are outgrowing or dislike your website platform or CMS, it is worth looking to move or redesign your website to get the features you need.
7. Target audience
If you’re not gaining as many leads or clients as you desire, and you believe your product or service isn’t the problem, then you might want to look closely at your target audience and whether your current website speaks to your ideal customer.
Developing buyer personas for your business can help you with visualising the customer you are looking to attract and editing your marketing plan to fit in with their needs.
Decide if your buyer is attracted to your website and finds it visually appealing, accessible, and easy to navigate. Discuss your buyer’s journey through your website, and what actions they might take before making a purchase.
To make sure your new website design is successful with your target audience, you should ask yourself:
- What information does my buyer need before purchasing?
- How can I use my website to reassure my buyer about my product or service?
- Do my current website and marketing materials resonate with my ideal buyer?
When is it time to redesign my website?
If you aren’t sure if your website looks or feels out of date, there are a couple of ways you can figure this out:
- Ask your peers or coworkers about their opinion of your website. This can give you a lot of information about how other people – even your potential customers – are viewing and navigating your website.
- Look at examples of modern websites that are proven to generate leads and purchases. What are the differences between their website and your own?
- Download a free checklist to see if your website is outdated. If you think your website looks out of date, then the chances are it might not be representing your business and its brand the best it can. It is never a bad time to think about whether your website branding needs a freshen up.
Summary
What to consider when redesigning your website?
If you think your website might be outdated, there are 7 things to consider before launching straight into a new website design.
- Accessibility
- Navigation
- Branding
- Content
- Content marketing
- Platform/CMS
- Target Audience
Ready to redesign?
We help businesses like yours evaluate their current website, and decide what needs to be updated. Whether you are looking for just a few updates – or a completely redesigned site – we can discuss your website design needs and figure out a plan that helps you attract your ideal customer, and lead them to purchase.
Contact Ocean Pixel Studios today to discuss your current website, plans for improvements, and redesigns.
