The number of websites in the world will continue to grow. This is driven by the increasingly good telecommunications infrastructure and the presence of many open source Content Management System (CMS) software. Telecommunications infrastructure has provided convenience and stability when you access the internet, while CMS makes it easy to create blogs or websites without having to master many web technologies such as programming languages and databases.
A small part of the websites that exist today are old websites that were created several years ago. Web technology itself continues to develop and be refined. Like web technology, websites are not enough to be created once and then left without any touch. Websites need to be updated and maintained. The appearance, management features and functions must change according to the needs and technological advances.
When is it Time for a Website Redesign?
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| When is it Time for a Website Redesign? |
If the website is created by a developer, they are the ones who of course maintain and change it according to current needs. If you create your own website, you are the one who maintains and adjusts your needs. If you create a website with a CMS, you need to update the CMS, add extensions or change templates. This aims to ensure that the website is in line with current needs and continues to implement new web technologies.
Not a few website owners just leave their websites after they are finished, without any further maintenance or adjustments. This may be different for corporate websites and even e-commerce which are considered as living entities that grow and develop together with the company's business. Here are 8 signs that you need to redesign your website:
1. The website is not mobile-friendly
You certainly know that mobile devices, both smartphones and tablets, continue to flood the market with various brands and models. People are given many options that allow them to have them more easily. Smartphones and tablets are much easier to carry anywhere. They can also easily access the internet with mobile data wherever they are.
In 2016, searches via mobile devices have surpassed searches via desktops and laptops. Searches via mobile devices continue to increase until now. All websites need to welcome this change and adjust to the shift in internet searches via mobile devices. All websites should be responsive and mobile-friendly.
The website must be displayed well on any device, including mobile devices. You can imagine if the website is not responsive and mobile-friendly. The website does not provide a good user experience and will be abandoned. You have the potential to lose many visitors via mobile devices which are now dominant.
2. The website does not load quickly
Telecommunication infrastructure in Indonesia continues to improve and this encourages faster internet access. However, in reality, there are also websites whose web pages take a long time to load. A web page loads quickly if it takes less than 3 seconds. If the web page load time is more than 3 seconds, the website can be categorized as average and even slow.
Google officially states that page load speed is one of the signals used in its algorithm to determine web page rankings. Page load speed is one of the important SEO factors and has many negative impacts if ignored. There are several tools that can be used to check website speed such as Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix and Pingdom.
3. Outdated or unprofessional website design
The average website today has an attractive appearance and good navigation. Visitors get a good user experience when visiting the website or when exploring further into the website. Web technology continues to develop and contribute to making better websites. You can imagine how a website a few years ago with an unattractive appearance and difficult navigation.
The first impression when visitors arrive at a website is the appearance of the website. What if the appearance of your website does not give an attractive impression, for example an uncomfortable background color, letters that are too small, font choices and thicknesses that make it difficult to read and so on? Visitors will consider your website outdated and unprofessional. Their short visit time could also be their last visit to your website.
4. Website uses flash
We all know that flash is an outdated technology. Many web browsers no longer support it. If your website still uses flash, your website will not load quickly and flash elements may not work. Flash elements that do not work are considered that the web page is not loaded completely and intact. This will only worsen the user experience and disappointment for visitors or visitors to your website.
5. High bounce rate
The bounce rate is one indicator that something is wrong with your website. The bounce rate itself is the percentage of visitors who leave a blog or website after opening just one web page. You can find out the bounce rate of this website using a website analytics service such as Google Analytics.
A high bounce rate indicates a technical issue on your website, either related to user experience or to the content itself. It is possible that the website navigation is irrelevant or confusing so that visitors choose to leave your website as soon as possible or visitors do not find content or something of value on your website.
6. Difficulty changing or updating content
Because you do not master website creation technology, you may use the services of a web developer to create a website. You then run the finished website and fill it with content. Over time, you may feel that there are features missing that make it difficult for you to change or update the content. You need to redesign the website through the services of a web developer.
It might be different if you create your own website using a Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress or Joomla. You can update when there is a new version release to further enhance existing features. If you want a special feature that is not in the default CMS features, you can add features by installing the CMS extension used.
7. Getting negative feedback
Website owners are sometimes less sensitive to what is lacking and needs to be fixed on the website. Things like this can actually be obtained from feedback. In between comments, visitors also provide input that the text size needs to be larger, the text thickness is not enough, the gradient color is too striking and so on. With this feedback, you can make improvements.
8. Inconsistent look and feel across the website
In web design, look and feel play a vital role. A good web design has a consistent look and feel across all pages of the website. For example, the position of the logo and the background color do not change when you open any web page. Changing the position of the logo and the background color can confuse and frustrate visitors. Visitors do not want to stop and think about every change that occurs.
Conclusion
The impression given by your website not only reflects your business identity but also determines the perception and trust of visitors towards your brand.
Good website = good impression. Bad website = bad impression.
If your business website is considered ineffective, it is highly recommended that the website be redesigned immediately. Like a tuned-up machine, if done correctly, redesigning will make your website work harder.
Not only does it help from an aesthetic perspective, but it also improves business performance, increases conversions, and strengthens your branding.
Having an effective and attractive website is very important in supporting business goals in today's digital era. By recognizing the signs of an outdated website and doing a complete redesign, you can improve user experience and increase website conversions significantly. This can certainly open up new opportunities for your business to grow in the digital world. Don't wait until it's too late, redesign your website now..!!