Redesigning a website is not a matter that should be taken lightly. Mainly because a website will decide your audience’s first impression of your identity, whether you’re an individual or a business. If you choose the wrong design, it could cost you a great deal in terms of reputation. Additionally, redesigning a website takes time, effort, and maybe even money – so you can’t switch back and forth between different designs at the drop of a hat. However, there are signs that you need to look out for because they indicate a need for a site redesign, regardless of the risk. These signs include:

You’re Not Getting Any Results

You could have the best looking site in the world. It’s very intuitive, looks sleek, and has killer content. But if the visitors aren’t coming or you’re getting a high bounce rate, then maybe it’s time to reassess your approach. This is not to say that poor results automatically require a redesign, but you should take it into account when you go back to the drawing board, since the site’s aesthetics and the user experience it provides can play a huge role.

Your Site’s Purpose Has Changed

It’s normal for a website’s purpose to change, especially if it’s serving mostly as a marketing and branding tool for a business. Even in cases where the website is the business itself, its purpose can still change depending on the goal and strategy being used. There’s no need for a complete overhaul every time the purpose changes, but it’s a smart move to regularly check if the website design is still aligned with its goals.

You’ve Learned How to Improve Your Strategy

Even if your site is already working well and bringing in lots of satisfied users, it’s still normal to learn new things along the way or discover new advancements in the industry. Sometimes the benefits aren’t worth the hassle of a redesign, but it adds up eventually until you’re stuck with choosing between adapting via a redesign or being left behind by your competitors. In this case, you can either go with where the industry is heading when there’s no longer any choice or you redesign in installments whenever applicable.

Your Backend is Outdated

There’s a number of good reasons why you need to update your backend (whether it’s a CMS or just a third party software) every time a new version or patch comes along – it keeps you updated with new features and helps keep your site safe from vulnerabilities and exploits that cyber criminals could use. However, sometimes new versions of these software could result in incompatibilities with your existing site design so it is good practice to check if you need the added security of a patch at the cost of a site redesign.

Lastly, If Your Competitors Changed Their Design

It’s generally a bad idea to constantly copy what your competitors are doing, as that strategy will only lead to you constantly scrounging for scraps instead of overtaking them on the market, but there are times where you need to follow suit and do a site redesign just to prevent being left behind. Remember that a site redesign drums up hype for your business, so don’t let the competitors enjoy all the thunder. Steal some of them for your business.

Additionally, a bunch of your competitors redesigning their sites could be indicative of an industry trend that you need to pay attention to, such as a shift in customer preference or new third party tools that streamline operations. Basically, you should pay attention to your competitors’ site redesign just so you’ll be aware if it means you have to do one yourself.

Tags: web design tips

This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2014 at 7:25 am and is filed under Design and Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.