25 Nov Is It Time to Redesign Your Business Website?
CHANGES IN WEBSITE DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS
Website design and functionality have changed dramatically over the last five years. Since mobile devices have become the most popular way to browse the web, web design techniques have undergone many changes. Sites have become more interactive with great graphics and videos that are accessible on any device. In addition, they load faster than ever before!
Here are some of the biggest changes in the features and functionality of a website over the last five years:
Video inclusion
A major change on websites recently has been the addition of video content. You can use this as a background video to engage your audience, or you can use it as a homepage video that describes your products or services. Modern users usually have limited attention spans, so videos can be a great way to grab their attention and share your brand as well. Hire a website redesign company to handle this process for you.
Social media integration
The social boom has enabled modern websites to make login easier for customers by enabling them to access members-only areas without requiring their email addresses. Videos and articles from websites can also be shared directly to Facebook or Twitter. It’s a good idea to include share buttons on your website pages and blogs so that your audience can easily share your content.
Improved security measures
Business owners have had to take steps to protect themselves as well as their customers online. reCAPTCHA is one of these measures. With this free Google tool, business owners can detect and stop automated software (bots) from engaging with their website.
A user simply has to check a single box, which allows them to browse your site easily in seconds, while also blocking bots from accessing your site, filling out forms, and sending you spam.
Mobile optimization
The use of mobile in browsing overtook desktop in late 2016. Therefore, mobile-friendly websites have become the new norm. Websites are now built for mobile devices, including phones and tablets. Using less text, more banners, more icons, more slides, and scrolling allows for easier navigation.
In July 2019, Google announced it was using mobile-first indexing. As a result of this change, Google uses the mobile version of websites for both indexing and ranking, making mobile responsiveness even more crucial.
Is It Time to Redesign Your Business Website?
If your website isn’t getting the attention it deserves, consider evaluating these criteria periodically to determine if a redesign might be necessary. You may want to consider redesigning your website for the following reasons:
1) Your efforts are not yielding any results
You should redesign your website if your data indicates that your conversion and bounce rate goals are not being met. Do your call-to-actions inspire visitors to become customers? Is your content customer-focused or company-focused?
2) To make your website more user-friendly
You might not have optimized your website for mobile if it was designed several years ago. Customers are going mobile, so your website needs to keep up. The best investment you can make is to hire a web design company to redesign your site so it can be viewed on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
In order to test if your site is mobile-friendly, you could use a tool like Google’s mobile-friendly test, or you could do the following to see how your page looks on different devices:
- Right-click on your web page
- Click “inspect”
- Hold down Ctrl + Shift + M
You can toggle between devices using the drop-down menu at the top of the window.
3) You recently rebranded your company
Redesigning your website and other marketing materials is a must if your business has undergone a rebranding. When rebranding, you can’t just change your company logo and colors. You should also align your website design with your most updated marketing strategy. It doesn’t always require a complete redesign, but adjustments may be needed.
4) You want to add new functionality to your website
It is better to redesign your website if you intend to add new functionality to your site, such as a blog or an e-commerce platform. Blogs, download sections, and photo or video galleries are all great examples of using content to improve your website. Good content can increase customer retention, SEO, and conversion rates.
5) To keep up with your competitors
When your competitors make changes that adversely affect your own search engine rankings, it is time to reconsider. Optimizing your website to increase its search engine ranking involves many factors. A simple way of doing this is to use keywords that you know your target audience is searching for.
6) Third-party tools must be updated
Third-party tools and widgets can enhance the functionality of a website. If, however, these tools haven’t been updated for a while, then they might be slowing down your website.
7) Your site takes a long time to load
Monitor the load time of your site as you add more content. The ideal load time varies but is typically around 4-5 seconds. Your site’s speed can be affected by large files, such as images and external programs.
8) You need to incorporate social media
Social media is an essential part of any website design, and not having it on your website places you behind your competition. Add links to your social media profiles on your website, and go one step further by making it easier for visitors to share, tweet, etc. your content directly from the site.
Optimize your content for social engagement. You can add buttons to social media platforms for liking and sharing. As people engage with your company across multiple platforms, this will also increase your search engine optimization.
Let us handle your web redesign needs
The process of redesigning a website can be extremely overwhelming. Let Natalie Minh Interactive simplify the process. Schedule a 30-minute free strategy call with us or email us now to find out how we can help you redesign your website! View our portfolio for more examples of what we’ve done in the past.