Good reasons to redesign your website

We’re lucky enough to work with ambitious people everyday, who are bold enough to advocate for change in their organisations. Change is hard. There’s a reason many businesses fail to adapt, and that’s because the fear of change prevents them from taking the steps necessary to stay relevant. The same-old is safe, but rarely the best route for your brand to navigate an ever-evolving business landscape in the long-term.

Which brings us to The Redesign Question - how do you know that the time has come for a new website?

Be it a sneaking suspicion that your current website is holding your business back or a company-wide acknowledgement it’s no longer fit for purpose; a website redesign is a big shake up of the status quo. Advocating for a new website can be a contentious move, after all your website is the backbone of your brand’s digital presence and your primary conversion platform. So, you’ll need some good reasons to get your team onboard, and make it happen. We know, because we work with the people driving these projects forwards everyday, and when it came to The Redesign Question, they needed a few Very Good Reasons to provide the answer.

Very Good Reasons to Redesign

Reason #1 -  You’re rebranding

The central outcome of a rebranding project is nearly always a new website. If you’re in the process of rebranding, the design of your website and wider digital presence should be the priority, and not tacked on at the end. Considering the digital outcomes of your new brand identity prioritises your website’s objectives early on. Even better, digital thinking in tandem with the development of new branding systems results in more tangible, functional outcomes that maximise strategic ideas and the emotive potential of design elements in the digital experience.

Reason #2 - It’s slow

Slow load times will be the death of your business. The speed of your website impacts everything, from sales to SEO. Your customers, Google, your employees; the truth is today, no one is waiting around for websites that don’t show up on cue. Redesigning your website to load faster will boost your search rankings (Google likes fast websites), reduce bounce rates (less customers leaving because they got bored of waiting), improve conversion rates (more customers buying, because they didn’t have to wait) and improve overall brand perception. (your audience won’t associate your brand with a poor digital experience) We’d say a slow website is an extremely good reason to pitch for a new website.

Reason #3 - It’s boring

Now this one should be approached sensitively, after all, many websites are the result of much hard graft by design, development, admin, sales and marketing teams, and branding past work as ‘boring’ isn’t the best way to get them all on your side. However, given the wildly creative and delightful examples of digital design available across the internet, a website lacking in design aesthetics and intuitive experience will neither be appealing nor engaging for the long-term. If your website isn’t delighting your audience in some way, be it aesthetically or practically, then that’s a good reason to redesign.

Reason #4 - It’s not working

If your sales or subscriptions are on the decline, chances are your website isn’t meeting its conversion targets. If your website is receiving a good amount of traffic, but little concrete user interaction in terms of content engagement, sign ups, sales or low retention - it’s time to dig into those web analytics and highlight the gap between acquisition and conversion. A website designed to better engage your audience in your products, services or ideas will better support your revenue, so a worthwhile investment for long-term business success.

Reason #5 - It’s hard to use

Is your website easy to use? Take note of how you feel about the user experience, or even better, request reviews or collate feedback from your audience. Culprits here are long, convoluted user journeys, and complicated navigation that leave your audience jumping through hoops to achieve what they need to, which results in them feeling confused and frustrated. A website redesign offers the opportunity to eliminate the friction by evaluating and simplifying user journeys, making each one seamless and straightforward.

Reason #6 - It’s lost

If your website traffic volume has been subject to a steady decline, or fallen off a cliff chances are your website is no longer optimised for the current search traffic algorithms. Google, and all the other major search engines refine and update their algorithms regularly to improve their service, and provide their users with the most relevant search results, fast. If your website’s CMS is difficult to use or there have been limited resources available to update content, much of your website may appear redundant to search engines. Starting afresh to create a more manageable site, with fresh, relevant content and technical functionality tailored for good search results can be the most cost-effective option to improve your SEO, and therefore the online visibility of your offer to potential customers.

Reason #7 - It ignores mobile users

Responsive websites that adapt to a variety of screen sizes are commonplace, but there are websites out there that still don’t put the mobile experience first. Just because your website interface can react to fit into a smaller screen, doesn’t mean it’s offering the best user experience for a mobile user. If your website isn’t designed with a mobile user in mind, you’re missing out — according to Statista, 62.5% of global website traffic comes from mobile users. A new website presents the opportunity to design a mobile-first experience in tandem with a desktop site, creating specific user journeys and content to meet a mobile user’s behaviour.

Reason #8 - It’s risky

The importance of security can’t be underestimated, especially if there’s customer data involved. Even if it feels like your brand’s website might be an unlikely target for hackers, a vulnerable website puts the perception of your brand at stake. After all, a website that’s been hacked doesn’t feel safe, and coaxing your audience back after a breach is a long, costly process. A redesign that puts security and compliance first will minimise reputational risks moving forwards.

Reason #9 - The competition got serious

You’ve been coasting along, when your competitor seriously ups their game. Your brand might not feel the immediate impact, but if your website looks and feels outdated in your sector, your audience will notice. Keeping tabs on your competitors' digital presence and website strategy can help you evaluate when to invest in a redesign. If everyone’s coasting along, why not take the lead, set the tone for digital innovation in your market, and outshine them all?

Reason #10 - You’ve got big plans

Starting afresh is time, cost and resource intensive, it’s true. But the last good reason for a redesign is this:  a well-designed website, with adaptable architecture and flexible content management, has the power to future-proof your brand and reduce costs in the long run. Plus, approaching a website from scratch can not only scale your business, but streamline it, integrating operations and marketing functions to save costs in other areas. So if you’ve got big plans, start factoring in how a new website can support them now...

In short...

A new website is a big project with upfront project costs to match, and getting the buy-in you need from your team to get up off the ground can prove challenging. But by assessing your website’s performance and determining some good reasons; you can effectively negotiate with those external stakeholders who may be resistant to change and advocate for a new website as a business imperative.

Nail a new website strategy and launch, and your brand will reap the rewards; benefitting from improved brand positioning and perception and an increase in traffic, engagement and conversions, and therefore overall business growth and profitability.

...can we help you?

If you think your website is preventing your brand from growing and achieving its objectives, we’re here to help. Get in touch, and the MUD team can support with an initial web audit assessment your site, to help establish the benefits of a website redesign in the context of your business goals.