They say that you only have one chance to make a first impression. That’s true of interpersonal relationships but it’s equally true when it comes to digital branding. More often than not, the first impression customers have of our business stems from your business website. As such, it’s critical that your site offers an appealing look and an intuitive interface, helping buyers to immediately conjure a favorable opinion.
If your website isn’t making a strong first impression, that’s a dead giveaway that you’re due for a redesign. The question is, what are some of the most common indicators that your website needs a tune up?
Here’s How You Know Your Website Needs Some Work
1) Your site is difficult to navigate on mobile devices.
The latest research shows that well over 50 percent of website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site requires mobile viewers to do a lot of squinting, pinching, or scrolling just to find the information they want, that’s a clear sign that you need an overhaul.
2) You’re noticing a high bounce rate.
Your Google Analytics will show you your site’s current “bounce rate,” which basically denotes the volume of people who hit the site and leave right away. A high bounce rate indicates an issue with your content or overall user experience.
3) It takes forever for your site to load.
Today’s users expect websites to load more or less immediately. A sluggish performance almost always suggests an out-of-date design, and that’s something that could be costing you leads and conversions.
4) Your website and branding are out of sync.
Have you overhauled your company’s logo, colors, or tagline in recent years, but failed to revise your website accordingly? Misaligned branding is a clear sign that you need to talk with your web design company.
5) Your content is stale.
To maintain the favor of Google’s algorithms, and to ensure you’re offering relevant and authoritative information to potential customers, it’s crucial to add new content and refresh old content on a regular basis. Dated content may point toward the need for a full site refresh.
6) Your website isn’t optimized for search engine visibility.
If you want your website to be easily discoverable by potential customers, you’ll need to ensure you have great on-site optimization. That’s something that should be baked into the design of your website, not sprinkled on top after the fact.
7) Updating your site is burdensome.
Do you need to call your web developer every time you want to add a blog post or make a simple content revision? If so, it may be time to update your site to a content management system that’s easier to work with.
8) Your website is difficult to navigate.
One of the quickest ways to scare off potential customers is to present a website navigation that’s onerous or complicated. If it takes more than two or three clicks for someone to get the information they need, that’s proof enough that you need a new website.
Time to Give Your Website a Long-Needed Update?
If your website exhibits any of these symptoms of being behind the times or underperforming, make it a top priority to speak with your web design company. Here at Woland Web, we’d love to chat with you about refreshing your site to make a strong first impression. Contact our team at your convenience.
