How to Know Your Website Needs a Redesign: Web Development Insights

With the emergence of the internet, your website is the first and sometimes the only impression people have of your organization. Consequently, website design and usability are of primary importance for forming an initial positive emotional response, gaining or increasing trust, and making the targeted sale. However, as time goes on, and both the technical tools and preferences of users change, it can become considerably old, slow, and uninviting. It can be owing to this that if your website is not as useful as you think it should be, then it is about time for a redesign. 

1. Outdated Design and Functionality

A website design that looks and feels old is a sure way to scare away your visitors and create an impression that your company is behind the trend. Web design trends evolve quickly and a design that was considered cool in the past year may look dated in the current year! Together with functionality, user expectations have shifted and users now want fast, mobile-first, and easy-to-navigate websites.

An outdated website may have:

Clunky navigation: If people have problems with navigation, the chances are that they will leave your website shortly.

Slow loading times: People expect the pages they are reading to load fast. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load then you may lose customers who came on your site.

Non-responsive design: In this era of mobile browsing, the website must be fully responsive in a way that it adapts to different viewports and different devices.

Old technology: In particular, it becomes a problem when websites are constructed using low-level frameworks, or content management systems that are no longer supported or do not support updates easily, may be less secure, or may not display properly on either newer devices or the latest web browsers.

The redesign allows to change the design for a new one and improve its functionality using accessible tools and trends. This serves to update your branding and make it more relevant as well as improve the user experience.

2. Poor User Experience (UX)

User experience also known as UX is an aspect of web design that plays a central role in the creation of websites. If potential customers have a negative experience with your company’s website, it is guaranteed they will not engage with you in any positive manner. If the user is not satisfied with your website, he bounces back, does not convert into your customer and has a negative image of your company.

Signs of poor UX include:

Difficult navigation: Most people want to gather information with ease and thus websites should allow this to happen. There is nothing more dismissing than a confusing menu or organized content that has away the visitors.

Unintuitive design: Web design should shape user behavior to the flow that is beneficial for your website, people should be directed where you wish them, for example, to make a purchase, subscribe to a newsletter, or call.

Too much clutter: If a page is allowed to get too cluttered with text, images, or links, it will be a daunting task for the users to know what really should be of interest to them.

If your website redesign is centered on the UX, you get an opportunity to declutter, rearrange and make navigation easier as well as establish straightforward CTAs. Therefore, by making your site more usable, people will stay focused and there will be that added chance of a call to action.

3. Lack of Mobile Optimization

Mobile internet access is now more popular than desktop access, which means that it’s not a luxury to have a website that is accessible through mobile devices–it is now necessary. The research has shown that if one website is not optimized for mobile use, then one is failing to reach a large part of traffic. Mobile users want to have the ability to seamlessly click through your site, and if your site is unresponsive to their needs and not mobile-friendly, the users will go to your competitor.

Common issues with non-mobile-optimized websites include:

Non-responsive layouts: Text having a non-mobile size, images and buttons located at wrong places and missed in proper scaling can be problematic to read or even click.

Slow mobile load times: No wonder mobile users are even more sensitive to load times than desktop ones.

Clunky mobile navigation: Mobile devices require touch-friendly navigation, with large buttons and simple menus that are easy to use.

4. Your Brand Has Evolved

Over time brands also transform because as businesses increase in size and complexity so do their brands. If your company has recently changed its logo, expanded its services, or developed new products, your site has to be updated. A website that is not up to date with the brand message that you want to pass down to your clients will only create confusion.

Signs that your website no longer reflects your brand include:

Inconsistent messaging: If the tone, images or content of your website are different from your current brand voice or mission statement then visitors get confused.

Outdated imagery and content: Maintaining a team site free from logos that have been used for years and information that may no longer be relevant presents the site as being ignored and amateurish.

Lack of alignment with business goals: Your website must be one of the main implements for achieving your business objectives, be they calling for leads, sales, or brand awareness.

5. Improved SEO Performance

Search engine optimization helps bring natural traffic to the website necessary for its success. Potential customers might not find a website easily when browsing the internet and thus, avoid visiting outdated sites. Redesigning lets you start anew, and take the best of the current SEO standards, including mobile optimization, rapid loading, and updated, relevant meta descriptions and content.

SEO benefits of a redesign include:

Better mobile optimization: Mobile responsiveness is an essential component of SEO and when optimizing your site for mobile, you have a higher ranking with Google.

Improved site speed: Google considers site speed a ranking factor and most fast websites are ranked higher on the search engine results page.

Updated content structure: It means that proper utilization of headings, proper usage of alt text and internal linking of the site will help you get better rankings.

6. Enhanced Security

The security of websites is an important issue in modern business and for customers as well. To be more specific, your website may experience security threats such as hacking or the presence of malware, if its foundation is outdated technology. For instance, website redesign leads to enhancement to more secure websites through the adoption of better measures like ISSC, use of SSL certificates and general alignment with existing security standards.

Common security issues on outdated websites include:

Insecure platforms: In general, there are many outdated CMSs, that contain critical open vulnerabilities that allow someone to attack your site.

No HTTPS encryption: Sites that do not have SSL installed, indicated by HTTP from the start of the web address, are not only less secure than the secured ones but are even ranked lower by the search engines.

Lack of regular updates: Failure to update both the software used in your website and the plugins often leaves your site vulnerable to hackers.

Conclusion: Website Redesign

We at Quantum IT Innovation also fully understand the need for a properly designed, secure user-friendly website. Contact us and Talk to our Experts for redesign for your current site to meet today’s web standards for a friendly and effective user experience coupled with improved SEO ranking.