If you haven’t yet read Part 1 discussing issues with your site being outdated, or Part 2 where we talked about website usability, go back and read those first before moving on here. Without further ado, here’s Part 3 on how to know if it’s time to redesign your website.
Is your site secure?
Simply, the most up-to-date website services have the best security against hackers. Hackers are better than ever at exploiting security flaws in websites, and if you’re not up to date you really don’t have a hope. Hackers can get into your site databases from their phones (yes, really) and take email addresses, and much more. If you aren’t doing everything you can to protect your site you may find yourself a victim. If you’ve had the same site for a number of years a website redesign may be necessary to enhance your site security.
Are you getting all the wrong clients?
You need to consider who it is your attracting with your website design and copy – are you getting a lot of inquiries from the wrong prospects? If so, you may have the wrong messaging in your website design and copy. Remember that almost all clients will check out your website before they think of working with you and what they see there will go a long way to convincing them if they do or don’t want to work with you.
If your inquiries are all from the wrong kinds of client, there’s something wrong with your site that a redesign will help you fix. Not only will you have a fresh update of the design, navigation, and website copy, but you’ll also have a chance to go back through your site and reassess your blog posts, any gallery items, examples, or case studies of your work, and consider what your ideal customer is looking to see. If you have an existing client base you love working with, don’t be afraid to give them a call to find out what they think, or send out a survey. If you don’t know what’s broken you won’t be able to fix it.
Is it SEO friendly?
Are you ranking for your ideal keywords on Google? Regardless of where you rank (unless you’re in the top 5) a redesign will help you with your SEO (search engine optimization).
If you don’t yet implement content marketing through a blog, videos, or podcast, a redesign can be the perfect way to start. A blog is a powerful marketing tool to drive organic (free!) traffic, is easy to start, and provided your posts are useful for your prospects and easy to find (thanks to appropriate keyword choice) will drive traffic to your site for as long as that post is relevant.
Another point to consider is the plugins your platform allows you to use to enhance your SEO. WordPress especially has a number of great tools (free and paid) which help you enhance your site’s SEO.
If you’re struggling with your site SEO it may be time to enlist the help of a professional to guide you on what you need to do.
If you’ve discovered a problem with your site do a redesign – it’s the best way to overhaul your site and make sure you aren’t doing anything to harm your website’s ability to connect with your audience and get found on search engines.
If you want to hand your redesign over to the professionals, contact us to find out more about how we can help you…
