7 Signs That You Need a New Business Website

A common question I hear from businesses is, “How do I know when my company needs a new website or a redesign?” This question is paramount because your website is the face of your business and can be a valuable source for leads and sales. You want to put your best foot forward whether your visitors are on their home computers or their mobile devices and you want your website to foster engagement, generate leads and drive conversions. Here are seven signs that it is time for your company to invest in a new website.

Here are seven clear signs that it’s time for your company to get a new website…

1.   Your website is not mobile-friendly (responsive).

More and more people are on their smartphones and mobile devices. If your website is not responsive, meaning it does not look good or resize well for a smartphone, people will immediately leave your website and your traffic will suffer. Today’s websites need to be mobile-friendly and have a responsive web design.

2.   It’s been four or more years since your last website redesign.

Today’s websites are designed to be light-weight and fast loading. They have social and contact links at the top of the page for easier social engagement. They have frequently updated blogs and helpful embedded videos to increase engagement and dwell time. They are optimized for search engines. Websites designed more than four years ago typically fall short in engaging the visitor, many are not mobile-ready, and most lack a visual spark. Redesigning your website to today’s standards should increase website conversions as well.

3.   You’re not getting enough inquiries or calls.

Websites need to be able to convert the people that are visiting and traffic should be growing over time not declining. Strategically placed calls-to-action and opt-ins above and below the fold help increase conversions and strategically optimizing for important long-tail keywords will help you attract clients who are ready to convert. Your website design should help your conversion rate not hinder it.

4.   Your bounce rate is super high.

Find this measurement in your Google Analytics account. A typical healthy bounce rate is between 40-50%. One of the goals of redesigning your website is to reduce high bounce rates.  A bounce rate measures the percent of users who leave the site before taking any action. The only action these ‘bouncers’ take is to click the ‘back’ button. Paid site visitors from PPC typically have a bounce rate of 80% whereas organic visitors have a bounce rate below 47%, in the good range, which is another reason you want your website optimized for organic placement.

5.   Routine website edits are becoming too expensive.

Newer websites are maintained on an easy-to-use framework called a Content Management System. It shouldn’t take a rocket surgeon to make small changes to your website. If it does, you probably have an older website framework and you should consider moving to a CMS like WordPress where it’s easy to make updates and add new pages and there are many experienced website designers who know WordPress can handle this for you.

6.   Customers are not finding you in Google search results.

This is critical. If your website isn’t getting placement on the front page of Google in the organic (unpaid) search results for keywords your potential customers are searching when they need your products or services then you could be missing out on valuable leads and potential sales. Your web pages must contain high-value, longtail keywords in the content and the code to make you relevant enough get placement on the front page of the search engines. Most web designers don’t really know search engine optimization (SEO), so find an SEO provider with a good track record who guarantees 1st-page placement in the search results.

7.   Your branding has changed but your web design has not.

If your company has had a brand design change, but your website has not, you are sending mixed messages to your audience. You need to have consistent branding that extends to your website and clearly shows your company’s value and personality to the visitor.

If you have three or more of these signs, find a great web designer that will get you fast turnaround, design guidance, and include responsive mobile ready design, branding, images, video, blogging, calls to action and opt-ins you need to encourage better conversion from your visitors.

We have a dynamic and creative team of web designers and developers who deliver brand new custom, well-organized websites and designed to make a great impression on visitors. Our websites contain extra features that increase user engagement such as social links, calls to action, videos, images, and built-in SEO to ensure that those searching for your services and products find you in the search results.

Does your company or business need a new website? Contact Us today for a free website evaluation.