Do you feel like your website is not generating traffic like it used to? You've tried creating more content, adding new keywords and posting more on social media sites. Your traffic can be low for several reasons but the first step you may need to take, can be to simply redesign your website. This article discusses signs that it might be time to redesign your website to better appeal to larger audiences and convert more leads. 

Your Website Is Not Responsive

The business world has moved beyond mobile. With different technology coming out everyday, your business can't ignore the best ROI comes from fully integrated marketing programs. Instead of creating different websites to work on various devices, a responsive website allows you to have the same system function effectively on each. A huge benefit of responsive designed websites are that they are specifically coded for screen size, not device. No matter the screen size someone is viewing your website, it will still have the proper look and feel for that device.  As new devices, like TVs, computers, tablets, or mobile phones, emerge in the future, your responsive site will be able to adapt, and still retain it's original design. This means, ignoring mobile screens as well as other devices is just not an option from a modern marketing standpoint. When it comes to catering to normal desktop computers and mobile devices, you need to be proactive. If you aren't, you are really just hurting yourself by limiting your website and it's usability. 

Design Is Cluttered And Outdated

Think your website might be outdated? Maybe it is. To continue generating leads and increasing sales it's important to keep up with popular trends and regularly updating the elements of your website. If you notice your conversion rates are low, your web design could be the cause. 94% of people say that first impressions matter and the design will help them decide if they want to stay on that site or leave to another source. 

You know your website needs to be changed if the design is cluttered or your website is so outdated that it takes too long to load. According to KISSmetrics, 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. This may not seem like a lot of time but an average website should be able to load within a second. Websites are constantly and quickly evolving so it's important to research new trends to keep your website up-to-date and and your design appealing and attractive. Your website needs to function quickly or people will feel like you may be an outdated source and move on to someone else. New and improved sites show a certain level of credibility so right off the bat, you seem like someone they can trust. If your website seems to be loading too slowly, there are several issues that could be taking too much space and it may mean it's time for a redesign. 

Your CMS Is Complicated 

Making minor updates to your website shouldn't feel like an all day affair. Something as simple as adding a photo or making edits to the content should be just that, simple. Content Management Systems (CMS) have significantly advanced in recent years. Therefore, If updating your website requires an IT person, this is a sign it's time to redesign. It's essential to keep up with trends to ensure traffic growth for more converted leads. This is nearly impossible to do when you and your employees can’t make changes easily and quickly on your own. 

What is a CMS? This stands for content management system, which is a program that creates structure for updating and editing specific content of a website. A lot of companies feel that you have to be a professional web developer to make changes to your website and know the language of coding and other programming techniques like HTML. A web development company may be needed to make major or complex changes but with a CMS, any online business should be able to update their website with simple-to-use tools. If your CMS is too complicated to navigate, it may be time to redesign and update your managing system. 

Your Search Engine Rankings Decreased

It's difficult for people to find you on the world wide web, if your name never pops up in search engines. The impact of being on the first page of Google has been well documented for years, as only handful of people who perform Google searches end up clicking past the first page of results. To be brutally honest, almost zero casual searchers make it past the first two or three pages of results, which highlights the importance of ranking well. In the early stages of search engine optimization, web developers used to stuff  keywords into a website in an attempt to boost ratings, but Google has since improved its algorithm to punish those "black hat methods", for trying to find the sneakiest way to the top. 

If your website continues to drop to the bottom of the list in searches, it’s time to make a change. Websites that are never really updated lose their search engine rankings simply because search algorithms and search behaviors are always changing and advancing. These algorithms often favor websites that offer fresh content on a regular basis. It’s important to have a content strategy in place so that you are using the most up-to-date SEO best practices and producing fresh, high-quality content that is searchable.

You Don't Have A Clear Message

It's important the homepage of your website clearly and creatively explains who you are  and what you do in a simple message. People are not going to stay on your website if they can't easily find out what you do. If your website can’t simply communicate what your business is and capture a visitor’s attention, you need to make some changes. Visitors need to be able to quickly determine what you do and then be guided to the next steps they should take.

ImageWorks LLC | Website Redesign 

Whether you are a start up and need a new site, or a re-design of an existing site, our team will work with your team to create a new Web presence that will energize your business.

Our custom designed solutions are built around your individual needs, and focused on your specific messaging, functionality, and inbound lead generation needs in mind. Our state of the art knowledge and continuous research and development efforts always take advantage of the newest technologies, insuring your project will be cross platform compatible, mobile ready, and easy to use.

While the look and feel of your site need to be unique, the formation of a solid Web development and marketing strategy is critical to the success of your Web project, and is a step missed by most Web developers. Focusing on your needs to continually improve productivity, lead generation, and improved client support, ImageWorks offers a solution built upon best practices for both marketing and online lead generation.

Click below for a website redesign session to create a powerful custom website.