In today’s ever-changing world of technology, it is so important that your website looks up-to-date! When it comes to your own website, you will always want to push back this one-time investment and see if it can give you a ROI for another year or so. But ask yourself this, how often have you searched for a product or service online, and end up contacting the websites that actually look better and more presentable? That’s what your customers are doing too!
Before you read further, the quick answer to when you should redesign your website is between two to three years. Even as a web design firm, we try to redesign our own website at least once every two years in order to keep up with the times. The reason why we say this comes down to 2 key factors. Technology and Trend.
Technology
A few years ago, it was totally acceptable to have a website that was not mobile responsive. People were totally fine ‘pinching’ their screens to zoom in and out of a website. Fast forward to today, and there are actually MORE people browsing websites on their smartphones than on a computer!
There was also a time when flash animations were the ‘must-have’ for a website. But with the domination of Apple, flash became obsolete as companies looked to revamp their website to remove flash totally. What’s the point of having an awesome website that cannot be viewed at all on Apple mobile devices?
You do not have to know what new technology is shaping the digital landscape, that’s our job. Get in touch with a web design firm like SBWD to assess your website and let us advise you whether it is time for a change. There are instances when we have told customers to keep their site for another 6 months before giving it a facelift for the new year!
Trend
While not as fickle as the fashion world, website design trends change every couple of years as well.
For example, there was a time where information was king. Just have a lot of information and that is enough to build credibility. But the attention span of customers has waned dramatically over the years. Now, the landing page needs to be a summary of your business. You have to structure content delivery in small portions for the customer to ingest and find ways to summarise the page to let them get what they are looking for faster.
Keeping up with the trend achieves two things. One, it takes away any first impression advantage your competitors might have. Two, it ensures your website does not let your investment in marketing go to waste. People always forget that your website is the main acting tool that supports your sales and marketing. If you don’t use the same marketing promotion for 5 years, why would you think it is ok for your website to look 5 years old?
There are many reasons why people wait to redesign – they don’t see the importance, lack of funds, or simply just never getting round to it. Many companies see getting a website as a one-time expense and think once it’s done it will last forever. That is not true anymore. Marketing is a continuous process and your website should be the focal point.
Keep your business current by asking yourself: What are my competitors doing? Is my web presence up to date? What can we do better?
Want to know if your website needs a revamp?
Get in touch with SBWD today or call us on 6513 2702 for a free site assessment and advice.