When should a company do a website redesign?
A regular website redesign should be part of the marketing budget of every successful company. Sometimes, it can feel impossible to keep up with the latest web design trends! This propensity for change especially applies to new website design, as capabilities and standards are always being refined and advanced to create a better overall user experience. Chances are if your website hasn’t been updated and redesigned in the last few years, it probably needs an overhaul.
If that’s the case, you’re likely seeing the impacts of failing to update your website every few years. Your traffic may not be where you’d like it to be, and those who visit your site may be choosing not to follow through with your services. While a website redesign is not a fix-all, it can help increase traffic and business, as your site will be more search engine friendly, and accessible.
What does a website redesign entail?
A website redesign can be a simple process, or a much more detailed one, depending on the last time your website was updated. You may need to update your content management system’s software and the images on your site, or you may need to overhaul your entire website. If it has been more than five years since you updated your site, chances are, there are some significant changes to be made. You will want to make sure your website is using the latest web design trends. That your site looks clean and modern, works with mobile devices, modern browsers, and is secure. If that is not the case, your company should be considering investing in a website redesign.
How often should I plan for a website redesign?
With the web developing at an incredibly fast rate, keeping your website updated with the latest web design trends is crucial to your company’s success online. Planning your website redesign should be part of the annual marketing strategy. You will want to spend time doing research and budgeting for that next major website upgrade. It can take three months to a year to redesign a website, you need to plan your next website redesign continuously, or it is easy to get outdated.
Can I get away with minor website updates or a stylistic refresh?
At a minimum, once a year you should get a stylistic refresh to keep your website looking new and fresh. A stylistic update can include minor modifications to colors, graphics, and adjustments to the styles and theme of your website. This update could be an affordable option if your website were designed using industry standards for web development, including responsive coding, CSS, and clean HTML. If not, you might need to scrap your site for a full redesign.
How often do I need a website redesign?
We recommend that you consider redesigning and developing your website every two years to keep up with the latest web design trends. This is because web technology changes rapidly, and you want your website to maintain its competitive advantage and stay secure.
How do I know if I need a redesign or just a stylistic refresh?
Here are the top five most obvious signs that your website is failing and you probably need a total website redesign:
- Your website has low-quality images that are only suitable for low-resolution monitors. Most modern web designs have images that are optimized and look good on both large screens and small mobile devices. It’s time to scrap those low-resolution graphics and upgrade your site.
- When you visit the website on mobile devices, you need to zoom and pan to see and read your content. Today more than half of website traffic is done on mobile phones or devices. If your site is hard to read or navigate, you will lose customers.
- If your site takes forever to load its time to start over with a new website. Old websites can get bogged down with heavy graphics and outdated code. Search engines and people have little patience when it comes to slow websites. If your site is slow to load, it won’t rank in search engines, and people who stumble on it won’t stay long.
- You need to contact your web designer each time you want to add or modify content. Businesses that depend on web designers to update a site’s content usually have an old, outdated website because it costs a fortune to make any changes. Today’s modern websites have affordable content management systems that make it possible for nontechnical people to make updates. It’s time to invest in one.
- When you visit your website, you see all kinds of security warnings from your browser or security software. You need a website that is 100% secure if your customers are going to trust that it is safe for them to use. If your site gets hacked, you and your customers might download ransomware or a virus that will compromise your computer and financial information. Get a new website and secure hosting service to avoid embarrassment and potential legal jeopardy if your business is responsible.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above, then read on for a complete overview. As a bonus, you will learn 12 web design trends that will help you create a shopping list of features for your next website.
First, decide if you need a refresh or a total website redesign.
Remember, a redesign might not mean replacing your site and starting over, but instead, it could mean updating the content, colors, and graphics. Unless the software, and code are unfit for modern devices, browsers and fail to comply with current industry standards. Therefore, if you built your website with a modern codebase, a web design firm can take it over and enhance it for your potential customers.
You will want to create a request for proposal that fits your needs and business requirements. In doing so, you will either ask for a redesign or a refresh. Next, we will cover several features and web design trends that modern websites are using, and it will help you decide which direction to take.
What web design trends should I consider for my website redesign?
1) Improve the speed and performance of your website
The longer people must wait for a web page to load, the more likely they are to leave the page and head to a competitor’s page. People abandon 40% of websites that take more than 3 seconds to load. Therefore, one of the improvements you will want to make is to increase the speed of your site to prevent users from heading to a competitor who might have a faster website.
Your goal should be to have a website that outperforms your competitors in terms of speed. That way, if your site also ranks well, you will receive excellent traffic overall. Likely, an increase in traffic will lead to positive business conversions. Test the speed of your current site today by using Google’s PageSpeed Insights testing tool.
If you updated your website within the past few years, it is likely up-to-par with web design trends and industry standards for website speed. If it has been a while since you updated your website, now is as good a time as any. You should focus efforts on upgrading it for speed and performance. If you do nothing, you will lose visitors, and your company will lose credibility. In general, you should want your website to be as fast as possible, as people will leave if it is not up to par with the competition.
2) Create voice search compatibility and implement structured data
Voice Search is a growing web design trend
Optimizing your website for voice search has become one of the hottest web design trends. Voice searches have increased from the popularity of home speakers like Alexa, Google, Cortana, and Siri. This fact has put the importance of structured data front and center for web developers. Structured data is content on sites that have been marked up with code that search engines can quickly scan and read. Therefore, voice search assistants, such as Alexa, can browse through structured data rapidly to provide answers to people who ask common questions. Unstructured data, including text and HTML, is less helpful since computers have difficulty identifying essential details.
While structured data is not all that new, if your website has not been designed or redesigned in the past couple of years, you are likely missing out. With the popularity of voice search machines, you want your business and its site results to be the top results for those systems to use.
Structured data and enhanced SERPs are popular trends in both SEO and web design
You will also notice that search engines are displaying enhanced search results (SERPs) on the top of your browser. This feature comes in various styles and forms, including featured snippets, knowledge cards, top stories, and knowledge graphs. If your website us well written and uses structured data, there is a higher likelihood that it will display in a search engine enhanced SERPs.
A website redesign should include structured data. It is not difficult to add to your site and can be very influential in the success of your website when it comes to enhanced SERPs. Note that structured data does not guarantee that your pages will rank high in search engine results. Quality content is still the most critical factor for search engine optimization (SEO)
3) Strengthen website security
Over the last few years, Google has been focusing on making the web a more secure place. That is, since 2018, they have been marking all HTTP websites as not safe. The message warns visitors that HTTP websites make them vulnerable to malware and hacking. Google Chrome is now warning users when they are entering a site that is not secure. Google’s goal is to stop consumers from using websites that could lead to a leak of private information. If this happens to your website, it may be something that can be fixed easily by installing an SSL Certificate. This warning may also be a sign that you have been hacked and need a more substantial website redesign.
Updating security is crucial to making sure that people trust and rely on your website. Therefore, a web designer can help set up an SSL certificate to encrypt your data and add the needed security to your site. If you are not sure if your website is secure, there are free online tools that will test the security of your site. Google has a tool called Lighthouse, which is used by developers to improve web pages. This tool will let you know if your website is using HTTP or HTTPS.
Previously, only sites that had e-commerce capabilities were pushed to secure their websites to prevent financial information from being leaked to hackers. However, private information is all over the Internet, in many forms. Security your site is now a web design trend for all websites. If you don’t make your website secure, it could affect your ability to get traffic and keep your customers and business safe.
4) Enhance Usability and Accessibility
Once you get people to your site, you want to be able to keep them there, as well! To do this, you will need to focus on web design trends for usability and accessibility. Having a responsive website is one way you can achieve this goal. If it is responsive, people trying to reach your site from any device can do so easily. If mobile users can contact your site but are unable to navigate it easily, then you are going to lose business and credibility. In 2019, it is necessary that you make your website accessible to people on all devices. If it is not, you will want to redesign it as soon as possible, as mobile use accounts for 50.3% of all web traffic. Don’t miss out on double the potential customers!
Not only do you want your site to be responsive to different devices, but it should also work well in various browsers. Don’t be shocked to learn that your website is not working on newer browsers if you created your website a decade ago using Netscape. You will want to test it using Edge, Explorer, Safari, Chromium, Chrome, and other modern browsers. A website redesign of an older site will likely include restructuring the software for different browsers, which is essential today. There are many modern browsers in use, and your website should look good on all of them.
5) Create stunning visual aesthetics
Maybe the most exciting part of a website redesign is the visible changes, including redesigning the old graphics to an updated and modern feel. People will not want to stay on your website if it looks boring and feels old. Part of any redesign should be to make the site look as clean and professional as possible.
Use modern programming techniques like HTML5 and JavaScript for animation
One example of updating that would be necessary is if your site is still using Adobe Flash. Ever since Apple blocked users from viewing Flash animation on millions of I-phones in 2008 due to security, its usage went downhill. Many other companies also followed suit. Developers and designers stopped using flash. If your site is using flash, you would need to find an alternative for animation like HTML5 or JavaScript that works across systems today. The aesthetic of your website is just as important as its functionality. Therefore we feel both are important to the success of your redesign.
6) Set up progressive web applications and modern online capabilities
Over the last decade, the Internet has developed rapidly, and often without restrictions. This growth has made many online features today that would not have been possible just a few years ago. For example, progressive web applications (PWA) are a growing web design trend. They are popping up around the Internet to engage people to subscribe to content.
PWAs are installable experiences, like an app, that function entirely on the web. For example, YouTube uses PWAs and might send a notification in the corner of your screen when a creator you like posts a new video. These web apps are available in every browser and work very quickly on most devices. If you do not have a modern and responsive website, you will not be able to keep up with growing technologies, such as this one. Your business could utilize PWAs as a way to get out information about your business and make your site a better experience for customers. Without a website redesign, it is another opportunity missed.
Google’s YouTube Video on Responsive Design and PWAs
Below is an in-depth video on responsive web design and progressive web applications, as well as how the two go hand-in-hand to create a better overall user experience. You should keep this in mind when deciding if a website redesign is the best choice for you.
7) Integrate with marketing automation systems, SMS messaging services, email marketing platforms, CRMs, and social media websites
You don’t want to miss out on capabilities to integrate your site with social media, marketing automation, texting, email marketing, and customer relationship management systems.
– Integrate your website with marketing automation systems
Marketing automation systems are a powerful web design trend that both small and large businesses can implement. These systems let you keep in touch with and track your website visitors from the first engagement through the entire sales funnel.
Third-party marketing automation tools like HubSpot, when integrated with your website, offer business owners the ability to see who repeatedly visits their site. The tool can also help you target that audience and draw them in again to become a repeat customer. As a result, your redesigned website can leverage marketing automation tools to help you send the right message, to the right audience at the right time.
– Integrate your website with a customer relationship management system (CRM)
Does your company have customer relationship management technology (CRM)? A customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. If so, you might benefit from website integration. It does not matter if you’re using Salesforce.com or Microsoft Dynamics, website integration can help your employees close more deals.
If your website sends customer inquiries by email, you already know that this method is unreliable and hard to track. Integration means customer information is transferred directly to your CRM. With automation, there are fewer mistakes, and your sales team will get the information quickly and can act immediately on the opportunity. Therefore integrating your CRM with your website should be a top priority.
– Integrate your website with email marketing platforms like Constant Contact or MailChimp
If you take advantage of email marketing to get your message out, you should take every opportunity to grow your marketing lists. Having tools that ask visitors on your website for permission to communicate with them is no longer an option for businesses, it is a must-have marketing tool! Email marketing platforms are critical for keeping your company email off of blacklists and make sure you are complying with privacy laws.
– Integrate with SMS messaging services to communicate with customers using text messaging from your website.
Combining the right message with your customers preferred medium will help with retention, conversion, and engagement. Jack hates to get an email but likes to get a text message from his favorite restaurant. Jane saves every email offer she gets and reviews them during lunch when planning a night out. You get the point. Texting is perfect for some customers but not for everyone.
Fortunately, major SMS service providers like Twilio and Nexmo have Application Programming Interface (API) capabilities that let you add SMS capabilities to your website. As a result, you can give customers the option to add their cell phone to your marketing list, and you can even send them text messages through your website. Therefore integrating your website with texting services is affordable and can produce the ultimate experience for customers. You can get instant responses and create the ideal experience for your customers.
– Integrate your website with social media
Finally, if you made your website in the late 2000s or early 2010s, it is very likely you failed to include integration with social media sites. Facebook and Twitter were beginning. Social media is now an integral part of the internet user’s experience. Integrating your website with your social media channels will make it possible for customers and prospects to interact with you in an entirely new way. Therefore, a redevelopment of the site can lead to an increased ability to connect with social media sites that will grow your business’s identity.
8) Comply with the latest US Privacy Act, HIPPA, and COPPA
The United States privacy act provides essential protection requiring businesses to gain permission and opt-out opportunities for digital marketing. HIPPA regulations protect sensitive information about a patient’s health records, and COPPA regulates and protects children from online abuse. Chances are your website, and business is already complying with these laws. The critical thing to note is that legislation is changing. You will want to try to protect your business from the legal risks and costs from compliance with future consumer protection laws. This planning can impact both your website and your approach to digital marketing.
While US privacy laws are not difficult to comply with, that is not the case in other countries. The European Union led the way in 2018 by regulating and protecting consumer privacy with the GDPR. Companies in the United States that do business with customers in the European Union have already complied with GDPR by tightening the way they handle customer data and privacy.
Today decision-makers and regulators are in the process of strengthening privacy laws.
Many feel the EU’s GDPR is a useful model for privacy regulations in the United States. One way you can be proactive is to comply with the privacy laws in the European Union. Most of the tools are already in place, and it should not cost a lot of money to make it happen.
9) Make your website more Accessible to People with Disabilities
As the Internet expands, our society needs to consider making it available to more and more people. Including those with disabilities. For many people who are deaf, blind, or have other limitations, finding accessible websites that cater to their needs can be very difficult. Furthermore, there is a growing aging population of seniors who are visually and hearing impaired. Making sure everyone who visits your website has the best possible experience should be a priority. Therefore, if you are a business with the funds and resources to redesign your website in an accessible manner, we see it as a worthwhile investment.
– Accessibility can benefit SEO
Every business can benefit from reaching people who are disabled. Investing in an accessible website is an excellent opportunity to grow your company. Many website accessibility features are beneficial to Search Engine Optimization and easy to accomplish.
If you see accessibility as a critical component of your site, consider making it a part of your biannual website redesign. At a minimum, you will want to use Google’s Light House Accessibility Audit Tool for testing. It is free, and you can use it to educate your web marketing team.
– Full WCAG compliance can require costly accessibility consulting
If you run a college or university or government agency, you may be required by law to maintain a website that is fully compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Automated tools are great, but they can miss major accessibility issues with websites. To accomplish full compliance, you will want an accessibility testing company that can do proper manual testing. However, for some small companies, full compliance is still a venture that is out of range, monetarily.
10) Implement eCommerce for convenient transaction processing and market expansion
If your competitor’s website is accepting credit cards online, and you are not, it may be time to consider upgrading. Many use credit cards to pay for everything online, including clothes, movie tickets, and even food shopping. There is also a growing group of people that are using cryptocurrency. Ecommerce is an affordable option today; you don’t need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to sell products and services from your website.
– Integrate your website’s eCommerce platform with Amazon and eBay
Amazon and eBay are two of the biggest online marketplaces in the world. They have opened their platforms so small businesses can sell their products.
EBay.com and Amazon have had active Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for developers for many years. These APIs have allowed developers the ability to create online integration capabilities for both open source and custom eCommerce platforms.
Amazon and eBay can be affordable for small businesses.
Thanks to eBay and Amazon’s (APIs) web developers can connect to their platforms and synchronize orders and product offerings and inventory. As a result, millions of small companies can affordably integrate their website to reach millions of eBay and Amazon customers.
Therefore, you can have a shopping cart on your website that integrates your inventory and products with Amazon.com and Ebay.com. When a product sells on your website, it can be removed automatically from Amazon and eBay.
Amazon will even handle fulfillment for your business if you’re going to take a hands-off approach. There is a reason more than 300,000 US-based small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) sell through Amazon’s Marketplace service in 2017.
11) Better search engine optimization and overall traffic
A website redesign can be an opportunity to reinvent the way you want your website to display in search engines. It is also a great time to plan the keywords in which you would like it optimized. If it has been years since you have done SEO, chances are, your company’s site does not rank well.
Algorithms change regularly, so should your website
Google and other search engines change their algorithms for ranking over time. Therefore an optimized site five years ago is probably not optimized anymore. You will want to redesign your website so that you can leverage the latest SEO trends. This way, you can optimize your site for keywords that are going to bring in the most traffic.
More than people going to your site, you want people to stay on your site and utilize your services. Therefore, a website redesign can be crucial to optimization, as well as for creating a successful customer journey.
12) Create Opportunities for multinational expansion
Finally, we see a website redesign as the best option for many businesses, big and small. Translation and localization are imperative for increasing your company’s business to new countries. If you have an old website, it will be more challenging to carry out those processes in an efficient manner. Therefore, if you are planning a multilingual website, having a website redesign that appeals to all potential audiences is necessary.
Conclusion: A website redesign offers many opportunities for success
We hope our 12 website trends help you in planning your next website redesign. With a website redesign, your site can bring in more traffic than your competitors and help you reach potential customers. Not only that, but your website will be clean, user-friendly, and easy for everyone to use!
Our web designers are here to work with you and make sure your website fits the needs of your business. Furthermore, we will make it affordable, modern, easy to use, and update as you wish. We can work with most open source content management systems; this means you can manage your website in-house.
