How often should you redesign your website? This is a question that many business owners often ask themselves. The answer, of course, depends on various factors.
Redesigning your website can be a stressful task. It can be difficult to know where to start and even more difficult to know when you are done. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of a website redesign and offer some tips on how to get started.
What Does A Website Redesign Mean?
A website redesign simply means making changes to an existing website. This can be anything from changing the color scheme to adding new pages or functionality. Redesigning a website is different from creating a new website from scratch; you already have an existing foundation to work within a redesign.
Alternatively, a website redesign is a high-level overhaul of your present website that drastically updates features such as the code, content, structure, and visuals to serve your visitors better. A successful website redesign increases revenue, better website presence, decreases bounce rates, and improves user experience (UX).
Website Redesign And Website Refresh
It is important to know that a website redesign is different from a website refresh. A website refresh is smaller-scale updates and changes, such as updating the visuals (i.e., color scheme, images, etc.), adding new content, or making small changes to the website’s structure. A website refresh can be thought of as giving your website a “facelift.”
A refresh occurs when the website’s essential structure and functions are substantially unchanged, and only small modifications are made to an existing site. For example, a new color palette and typography are introduced to the site’s look and feel, or modest UX modifications are applied to particular page designs.
On the other hand, a website redesign is a much more extensive update that includes all of the website mentioned above refresh updates and more significant changes, such as changing the website’s codebase, functionality, and overall structure. A website redesign is often thought of as a “full-scale makeover” for your website.
Factors To Consider Before You Redesign Your Website
Now that we know what a website redesign entails, let’s consider some factors you should consider before starting the process.
- Website Goals and Objectives: What are your business goals and objectives? What do you hope to achieve with your website redesign?
- User experience (UX): How easy is it for visitors to use your website? Can they find what they are looking for easily?
- Analytics: What do your website analytics tell you about your current website? Are there any areas that need improvement?
- Competition: How does your website compare to your competitor’s websites?
- Budget: Do you have the budget to complete a full-scale redesign?
These are the questions you should answer and factors you must consider before starting a website redesign. However, don’t panic if you don’t know the answers right away.
The rest of this article will help you sort through them and build a website redesign plan, so you can be confident you’re redesigning for the correct reasons and in the most efficient way possible.
Benefits Of Redesigning Your Website
There are many benefits of redesigning your website, such as improving your web presence, increasing conversion rates, and modernizing your brand. Let’s discuss a few of them in detail.
Improved User Experience (UX)
One of the most important benefits of redesigning your website is improving the user experience (UX). If visitors have difficulty navigating your website, they will likely leave and never return.
Increased Conversion Rates
Another benefit of redesigning your website is increased conversion rates. If your current website is not converting visitors into customers or leads, then a redesign may be what you need. A website redesign allows you to create a more user-friendly website designed to convert visitors into customers or leads.
Modernized Site Design
If your website looks outdated, a website redesign is a perfect opportunity to modernize it. A website redesign allows you to update your visuals, such as your color scheme, logo, and typography. It also allows you to update your messaging to reflect your brand better.
Improved Search Engine Optimization And Site Performance
You can have the most beautiful and dynamic website in the world, but if it isn’t optimized for search engines and people can’t discover it, what’s the point of it all?
SEO is a continuous and ever-evolving process that demands ongoing attention and gradual actions, yet your SEO efforts may be neglected in favor of more vital business objectives. As a result, a redesign is an excellent opportunity to correct any SEO deficiencies and bring your site up to date with current SEO best practices.
Currently, this entails ensuring that your site is clean and fast, compressing your pictures, reducing HTTP requests (CSS and JavaScript references), reducing render-blocking scripts, and more.
These are just a few of the benefits of redesigning your website. If you’re considering a redesign, keep these in mind.
Better Functionality And Content Management
Redesigning your website allows you to thoroughly examine the existing functionality it offers, both for users and for the company, intending to make everyone’s life easier.
Adding a better content management system is beneficial to a company because it reduces the requirement for a developer on hand for day-to-day updates and assistance.
It also lowers your monthly operating costs while increasing your flexibility and lead time for crucial upgrades like blog posts and campaign page construction.
How Often Should You Redesign Your Website?
Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of redesigning your website, you may be wondering how often you should do it. The answer is: it depends.
There is no set timeframe for when you should redesign your website. However, as a general rule of thumb, you should redesign your website once every two to three years. This is simply because if your website is three years old — a lifetime in the digital world — odds are it’s outdated, geriatric, old, and crusty.
Here are more specific reasons why you should consider refreshing or entirely redesigning your website:
Your Website Is Not Mobile-Responsive: If your website is not mobile-responsive, you need to redesign it as soon as possible. Mobile traffic has surpassed desktop traffic, and if your website is not designed for mobile devices, you are seriously missing out on potential traffic and customers.
Your Website Looks Outdated: As we mentioned before if your website looks outdated, it probably is. If it looks like it was designed in the early 2000s, it’s time to redesign. Websites should be designed using modern design trends and principles.
Your Website Is Not Converting Visitors: If your website is not converting enough website visitors into leads or customers, you need to redesign it. A redesign improves your website’s conversion rate by updating your website’s call-to-action, forms, and overall user experience.
You Have Added New Products Or Services: You need to update your website to reflect these changes if you’ve added new products or services. Adding new products or services is a great opportunity to redesign your website to better showcase these products or services.
You Are Rebranding Your business: A website redesign is a great way to launch your new brand and ensure that your website accurately reflects your new brand identity.
Your Competitors’ Websites Look Better: Take a look at your competitors’ websites. If they have a modern, mobile-responsive website, and you don’t, you need to catch up. Redesigning your website to be on par with your competitors will help you stay competitive in your industry.
Your Visitors Keep Complaining: If you’re getting complaints from visitors about your website, it’s time for a redesign. Complaints could be about anything, from the overall design of your website to the user experience. If you’re getting negative feedback, review them and make changes to address the problems.
As stated earlier, there is no set timeframe for when you should redesign your website. However, if any of the above apply to you, it’s probably time for a website refresh or an entirely new website design.
Finding The Best Website Developers
If your website needs redesigning or rebranding, you need to find the best website developers to do the job. When looking for website developers, you should consider their experience, portfolio, process, and pricing.
The process of finding web developers who meet all the requirements above can be daunting. However, we have good news for you; you don’t have to!
We are a web agency with the tools and experience needed to give your website a new look, feel, and updated functionality.
Digital Perception LLC will revitalize your website’s image with modern web design techniques and ensure that your new site is beautiful, responsive, and optimized for search engines.
So, How Often Should You Redesign Your Website?
In conclusion, redesigning your website is important for many reasons. A website redesign gives you better functionality and content management. You should consider redesigning your website every two to three years or if any of the above apply to you. If you need help redesigning your website, contact Digital Perception LLC today!
