It can be difficult for a company/business to know when and how to undergo a complete website redesign. The process of redesigning a website requires a whole lot of commitment, as well as fully trusting those you have hired to handle the virtual face of your company. However, having a site that frustrates and drives your users away, can ultimately be the downfall of your whole business.
Every website should be designed and launched with numerous principles in mind. Websites can be used for various purposes and so it is important to consider an easy-to-use layout, an easy-to-follow navigation, pleasing aesthetics and well-thought-out content management. Regardless of how you want to use your site, a user friendly and interactive design is paramount to your brand. Aren’t sure whether you should consider a website redesign? Take a look at our guide below.
Your website is outdated or visually unappealing
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and chances are that your website is your first impression. We guarantee that nothing will make a user click the back button faster than arriving at your site to be met with a jumbled mess. With the current trends in mobile development, Flash will no longer be supported in the future and HTML 5 is soon to take its place. So, if you are aware that your site depends on Flash, this is the prime time to consider a complete redesign. Of course, you should do so before your search engine rankings are affected by optimisation.
Another design mistake we at Gomie Design often notice is, spewing out every bit of information you have on a subject on the homepage. As interesting as that bit of information may seem, the fact is users didn’t come to your website to read, they came to gather information on you. Potential customers will simply want to know what you do and how you do it. While you don’t want to lose important details, in this particular situation less is certainly more.
Your site isn’t mobile responsive
The mobile device market has exploded, with tablets and smartphones having revolutionised the way users are accessing the web. Research know that over 20% of Google searches are being performed on a mobile device, and that approximately 1 out of 4 internet users only access it on a mobile device.
If you have a responsive website design, you can be sure that your site has been built so that the structure, content, and images appear the same on each device. Of course, this means that users will be able to easily use your website regardless of which device they are using. Additionally, if your website isn’t mobile friendly, you will find that Google will dock your search engine rankings. Google will have done this in order to provide a qualitative mobile experience for its users.
Your website is difficult to navigate
When visitors access your site, they want to find the information they are looking for quickly, and without having to do too much digging for it. If users find it difficult to find the information they need, they are sure to become frustrated and look to other sources for what they are trying to find. If you have too many pages of content, or a poor content structure, you are sure to scare off potential customers. Additionally, slow transitions and load times will also annoy visitors, and so should be avoided when possible.
As well as the above, your website’s navigation is important in SEO terms. Google wants to make sense of how the information on a certain page of a website fits into the bigger picture of the whole site. This means, the easier it is to reach for your content, the better. To do this in a better way, you could use a row of internal links at the top of the page to allow easy site navigation. Above all, site navigation should be simple and easy to use.
Overall, redesigning your website is a large task and should be considered wisely. If you are thinking about doing a redesign, the examples above are a good reason to begin the process. Do you need help with redesigning your company’s website? Contact us at Gomie Design for professional and bespoke design solutions.
