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How to Know When It Is Time to Redesign your Website
DIY Sprocket Solutions
If you have a business website, the day will come when a redesign is necessary. This could be anything from updating old functionality to swapping out colors to changing up the whole thing. There could be a number of good reasons, so here are a few thoughts for evaluating what may need a tweaking.
Are you mobile friendly?
Honestly, you really should be by now, but we just saw another site today that was stuck in the twentieth century. If you check how your site looks when pulled up on somebody’s phone and there is a lot of pinching and spreading involved to read it, then it’s time for a re-do.
How’s that color scheme working for you?
You don’t want to look dated, so make sure that the color scheme that you picked out in 1987 still works today. And if you have updated your brand’s colors, then you definitely need to get appropriately coordinated.
Is your theme still relevant?
Trends come and go, even in website design. Is your outdated theme getting in the way of your message? Or, on the flip side of that coin, if you didn’t really have a theme the last time, make an effort to build cohesiveness between your website and your brand.
Are your web functions broken – or about to break?
Regardless of the platform used to build your website, it has without doubt been updated along the way and that can mess up connections with any functionality you are using from plug-ins. Forms or styling might have ceased to work properly, which means you need to update those as well or swap out for new ones.
Have you accumulated broken links?
Are the page links to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. still right? What about links to articles, directories, or other outside sources? Broken links hurt you with both search engine robots and human visitors.
What’s up with your loading speed?
If your page takes longer than a few seconds to load, you should seriously consider optimizing your site. If I have to wait five seconds –you’ve lost me.
Are visitors making it past your home page?
If not, you may need to re-evaluate what you’ve got on your homepage. While there’s no sure-fire system, there are best practices that can help. Maybe the design is a turn-off. Maybe the information isn’t compelling. Maybe the first impression feels dated. Maybe it’s time to rethink this.
Do search engines know you exist?
Using keywords that you know your customers are searching for is important. Adding fresh content on your site with blogs, updated articles, and so on is one way to remind search engines that you are relevant.
What does your copyright say?
It should be looking like this – “Copyright [whatever the current year is]” No exceptions. If it doesn’t, then you have a seriously old website that needs help pronto since there are auto-updates available these days.
When was the last time you revamped your site?
Can’t remember? One of the biggest reasons to keep your website updated is for security. The older your site, the longer hackers have had to learn its weaknesses.
You may not be the best resource to know when your site needs redesigning. There are probably people who know but just haven’t said anything – people like your prospective customers who are moving on to your competitor. Friends don’t let friends keep outdated websites, so here’s a friendly reminder to take a look at your current website. If you decide it’s time for a redesign, just give us a call.
This article is an update to “When is it Time to Redesign Your Website?” dated 5/8/2013.
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Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
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