How Often Should You Redesign Your Website?
There is something about the month of August. As a business owner, you were probably reviewing your website and wondering, “Has my business’s image, services or products changed? Should I update my current website on my own? Should I hire someone? Do I need a brand new website? What should I do?” Don’t be overwhelmed. In some cases, your business expands and at the very least your website’s products, services or contact information needs to be updated. You may have a new branding idea for your business but love your current website, This may be a good time to get in touch with a website designer for them to update the look, feel and graphics. Or you may need a complete overhaul and redesign, how do you determine the difference? Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are contemplating hiring a professional to update or redesign your website:
Technology changes
Browsers update almost every year or more, a new mobile device comes out, search engine algorithms change, Content Management System’s (CMS) update. All of these updates are behind the scenes and they do effect your website, may even break them. Some broken website’s are obvious, they just don’t look right or function properly, but more often than not – these broken website attributes stem from a regular technology update. The majority of these can be fixed by getting a professional assessment. Sometimes “simple” updates are not so simple and a complete redesign could be recommended to save money.
Taking too long to load?
Uploading large files such as high resolution images are the most common issue when you see a website loading really slowly. Load time has always been very important and shouldn’t take more than 6 seconds to see the full website. With some mobile carriers limited data use, loading time is precious. If your website is taking too long to load, have a professional optimize its content and images.
When was the last time you updated or redesigned your website?
A good indicator for an old website is the functionality, usability or simply the copyright year in the footer. Keeping up with website design trends and technology depends on your business. Overhauling a website is good if there is poor functionality present or if the coding language is no longer being supported. If you love your website and have had it for years, redesigning the look and feel may be your best option to stay up with the design trends.
Ultimately you have to make the decision to do a website redesign. If you are asking yourself if you need to redesign your website – you most likely need to do something. By hiring a professional to assess, make recommendations and execute the solution will help you make the right decision for your business.