After the excitement of launching your business starts to fade, it’s not unusual to feel a little ‘bleurgh’ about your website. It happens to all of us! With so many businesses starting with a basic website on a shoestring budget, it’s no surprise that one or two years later, you find yourself ready to level up your site (or zhoosh it up!) to match the growth of your business.
Updating your website can provide lots of benefits. These include making your business look more professional, delivering a better experience for your clients/customers and helping your website be found by more people (thanks to the power of organic marketing).
However, with everything on your plate as a small business owner, you might be wondering whether you REALLY need to upgrade your site. Is it necessary or are you suffering from a case of website envy after checking out your competitors?
While many website designers recommend redesigning your site every 2-3 years, certain signs might point to a need for more urgent action. The good news? If none of these signs applies to you, you can put off a redesign for a little longer. Unless you just want a change (we get it and we can help you with that!).
Signs that it might be time to zhoosh your website
Outdated design
Your website is dated, looking a little worse for wear or doesn’t match your business vibe. Web best practice changes all the time, so the site that was state-of-the-art only five years ago might look old and unappealing to customers now. It’s best to update to a clean design that’s easy to navigate, device-responsive and gives your customers multiple ways to contact you.
New branding/photography
You’ve invested in new branding and fresh photography to showcase your business. Give your new branding and images the greatest impact with a new site design. eCommerce sites can shine with a Shopify makeover to put your products front and centre. Meanwhile, service providers can make a splash with a complete WordPress redesign to highlight your offerings.
No longer represents your business
You’ve moved on from your initial offerings or you’ve pivoted in a new direction. Obviously, if this is the case, a new website design is needed to showcase your current products or services. The key to this sort of redesign is to highlight your core offerings and tie these back to your value proposition and business goals. This will ensure your new site truly represents your business.
Need more functionality
You’ve outgrown your site or need access to extra functions to help your users. Examples include providing login access to your repeat customers, running a client forum, handling wholesale transactions or offering a membership. Before setting out on your redesign, map out all the functions required to ensure your chosen platform and site design will deliver what you need.
Poor conversions
You’re not seeing results in your marketing and your conversions are tanking. While this might indicate an issue with your marketing, in most cases, poor conversions are due to problems with your website. If your site is slow to load, not mapped out well or is hard to use, visitors won’t want to stick around to find out more, which will seriously affect your sales and conversions.
Not responsive or mobile-friendly
You’ve received usability alerts from Google and/or complaints from visitors to your site. You might be using an old theme that doesn’t render your site well on mobile or there could be a key flaw in your design (e.g. buttons too close together, pop-ups appearing instantly, etc.), that prevents visitors from taking action. This is a big problem and needs to be addressed pronto.
Strategies to consider when updating your website
When approaching a website redesign there are several strategies you should consider to get the best outcome. These go to the heart of good UX (user experience) and will ensure your new site delivers the best return on your investment.
Analytics
Before starting the redesign process, take the time to analyse your current site to gain valuable insights into the user experience. Identify your most popular pages, see which Calls to Action (CTAs) people are responding to, review what people are searching for on your site and look closely at your numbers to see where you’re doing well and where you can do better.
Customer experience
Take the customer’s point of view to see how people interact with your website from discovery to purchase. Mapping out each part of the customer’s journey can highlight issues in your processes and potential barriers to purchase. Taking the time to analyse the customer experience will guide you on what needs to be included in your new site (and what doesn’t).
Business goals & value proposition
It’s important to be clear on what you stand for and what sets you apart from your competitors for your redesign. This will guide you on the type of site you need (product v service), what information to include (shipping, service agreement, etc.), why people should choose you (point of difference) and how you solve your customer’s problem (products, information, advice, etc.).
Target audience
When it comes to a website redesign your target audience should always guide your thinking. For your new website to deliver results, it needs to speak to your target market directly. This includes using language and words that truly resonate with them. That’s why using a professional copywriter can help you connect with the target audience of your new site.
Should you redesign your whole website?
Before you get too caught up in planning your new website, take a moment to consider what needs to be changed. While in some cases a full website redesign is the only way forward, in others, you might only need to tweak your design or change up some of your pages for a great result. So, zhooshing your website might not be as expensive or difficult as you think.
If you’re considering updating your website, it’s a good idea to talk to a professional designer or developer first to identify what you need from the design. They will take into account the strategies discussed here and help you get the most value from your redesign.
We can help zhoosh your website
Whether you’re looking for a staged redesign or a full revamp, the team at Naked Digital can take care of it all for you. We build, launch and host websites, coordinating copywriting, design and all other elements on your behalf, so you’re free to keep building your business.
Need help deciding if the time is right for you? Schedule a free 30-minute chat with us now to discover how we can reduce the overwhelm and smooth the process.
