10 signs you need a new website

So you have a website for your organization, and you like it pretty well. You’re online, and it seems to get the job done. But how do you know whether or not your website could benefit from a facelift? Is it worth the time, effort, and investment to travel down that road?

If any of indicators below sound familiar, you should take action. We’re not saying we’re necessarily the perfect fit for you and your project, but we’d be happy to have a conversation to find out. It may also be worth it to talk to your previous web company, or someone else.

Here are a few telltale signs that it may be worth considering redesigning your website.

1. Your website is slow or broken

If your website doesn’t work, is slow, or images or pages are broken, it’s time to make it work again. Sometimes that is a simple fix. Sometimes it’s easier to just build a new website from scratch.

2. You can’t update your website on your own

Websites built today are much easier to update than they used to be. Gone are the days of needing to know code to make the smallest change. Now, websites are built on Content Management Systems (CMS’s) that let you update text, photos, and other content yourself if you want to.

3. There’s no call to action

Although it’s nice if a website provides some basic information, it’s also important that visitors have a clear next step when visiting your website. Should they call you? Ask for a quote online? Regardless, is it clear that this is the visitor’s next step? If not, that could be a lost customer or client.

4. It isn’t mobile-friendly

As of a survey taken in May 2013, 63% of adult cell owners use their phones to go online. As a result, it’s increasingly important that your website be mobile-friendly. If your website doesn’t look good on mobile devices, or is hard to navigate, you could be losing a big portion of your audience.

5. It isn’t user-friendly

Visitors decide in only a few seconds whether or not they want to continue exploring your website. If your website isn’t easy to navigate and laid out in a way that makes sense, chances are that people won’t stick around to find out what you have to say.

6. It doesn’t have blogging capabilities

Ten years ago, websites were simply a create-it-and-leave-it type of project. Now, websites depend on you adding and updating content on an ongoing basis. This not only provides helpful articles for your clients, but, over time, it can also work wonders on your search engine rankings. Which brings me to…

7. Your website can’t be found on search engines

With proper coding, a website can be more inclined to show up higher in search engines. If your site isn’t showing up on the first few pages of searches, a website redesign may help. The redesign will also help you take a look at how your content is organized, and see where it can be improved.

8. Your branding or business model has changed

Your website should provide a consistent message about your business and services. If there are inconsistencies, people can get confused about what you do, or even who you are. This consistency should also extend to your social media presence and printed materials so people are seeing the same “you” everywhere.

9. People you trust say you need a new website

It’s one thing if a web designer you don’t know tells you that you need a new website. But if you keep hearing from multiple people that you do trust that you need a new website, then it’s probably time to start thinking about it.

10. Your website is over 3 years old

As a rule of thumb, we always recommend at least visiting the idea of a website redesign every three years or so. Technology is always changing so it’s to your advantage to see what possibilities are out there.

Bonus: You know you’ve missed opportunities because your website is old or doesn’t look good

Sometimes you know you’ve missed specific pieces of business because of your website. We’ve seen it happen. If that’s the case, take action now!