The quote, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” was coined long before the internet, but your website is most certainly no exception. As more and more in-person interactions are moved online, first impression staples like smiles and handshakes have been replaced by things like digital color palettes and content layouts.

In the half a second it takes for visitors to form an opinion about a website, there’s little room for poor user experience. No website is perfect, but there are a number of foundational elements that can ensure your website effectively serves the needs of your customers and remains competitive within the crowded digital landscape. Here are 8 tell-tale signs your website may be in need of a redesign.

1. It’s Not Mobile Responsive

Ensuring your website is optimized for mobile devices is no longer a suggestion, it’s a requirement. In 2018, Google began mobile first indexing, which means they index websites first on their mobile version, instead of their desktop version (as it was done in the past). In other words, Google basically shuns websites that don’t have a responsive design—and they’re not the only ones. Research shows that nearly 60% of users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile.

Having a responsive design doesn’t just apply to smartphones, it means your site will also be easy to use on tablets, TVs, and even smartwatches. With more than 70% of users accessing websites from a mobile device, a nonresponsive website means you could be missing out on valuable customers and conversions.

2. It Has a Low Ranking on Google

If your website is a store, then Google is the shopping mall. A store’s location inside a mall plays a huge role in driving customers through the doors. The same goes for your website’s position on Google. Less than 0.7% of Google searchers click on results from the 2^nd page of search results. This means that if your website isn’t showing up on that first page of results, you will rarely score leads from organic search.

In order for your website to move up in search results, you must perform on-page SEO across your site. Improving page speed and optimizing the quality of your content are standard items on any website redesign checklist—and are also crucial to improving your website’s ranking on Google.

3. It Takes a Long Time to Load

When people want information, they want it fast. Research shows, 53% of mobile site visitors will leave a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. This means that if your site is not optimized for page speed, you might actually be driving your customers straight to your competitors. Redesigning a website often involves optimizing your web host, compressing image and file sizes, and minifying code—all of which will do wonders for your site’s load speed.

4. It Has a Higher-Than-Average Bounce Rate

A “bounce” occurs when a user lands on a page and then exits out of it without any tracked interaction beyond that page, including other pages on your site. I should point out that bounce rates can be ambiguous should always be looked at in conjunction with other analytics before making any judgements about your site’s performance.

However, if users are bouncing from your website at an alarming rate, it usually indicates a problem with engagement. Maybe your website is attracting irrelevant traffic, or the page took too long to load, or a combination of both. Whatever the problem is, a full site redesign can help optimize your website so that the right users can easily find what they need when they need it.

5. Customers Aren’t Converting

One of the main goals for most B2B websites is to drive conversions. After all, what’s the point of investing in a website if it isn’t generating any business. Conversions come in many forms—not all businesses sell products directly online. Whether it’s capturing users’ contact information, providing a place for visitors to ask questions, or securing requests for quotes, conversions are at the heart of any online business.

There may be many reasons why your website isn’t generating sufficient leads. Customers might be having a hard time finding what they’re looking for, your call-to-actions might not be clear enough, or your site is targeting the wrong audience. Either way, a drop in conversions should be a glaring indicator your site is in need of a few updates.

6. Small Changes Require a Lot of Effort

Whether it’s posting a blog, changing a product description, or updating links—websites require constant adjustments. If your website is hosted on a platform that is difficult to use, simple changes like these can be a huge pain. If this is the case, it may be time to consider designing a new website using a custom-built host.
These platforms, whether it’s an ecommerce site or a CMS, can be customized to the unique requirements of your business and/or industry, and are often much more user friendly than platforms designed under the one-size-fits-all approach. With a custom host, it’s not only easier to make various adjustments, but they also come with the added benefit of custom features, like modules that allow customers to compare products or forms that make it easy for users to find what they need based off their specifications. While building a website on a new host be a time intensive project, it can yield significant benefits for both you and your customers in the long run.  

7. You’re Jealous of Your Competitors’ Sites

Going back to the shopping mall example, it’s far easier for customers to click to a different website than it is for them to walk to a different store. Your business may offer some of the best pricing, turnaround times, and customer service in the industry, but that won’t amount to much if your website fails to address their needs right off the bat.

If you get design envy when you’re casually stalking your competitors’ websites, you’re most likely also losing business to them. Take it from one of our clients. Totten Tubes, an industry leading steel tubing and pipe manufacturer, wanted to expand their business, but were stuck with a site that offered limited opportunity to do so. After redesigning their site to include functionality more in-line with their competitors’ sites, they saw a 90% increase in new users and a 41% increase in goal completions. Not only can redesigns help you gain a competitive edge, but they can also give you the flexibility to more easily keep up with ever-changing industry trends. 

8. Your Branding Has Changed

Every successful business has a well thought out brand identity that enforces their personality, how they communicate, what they do for their customers, and the special sauce that sets them apart from the rest. If your website fails to accurately reflect these things, your customers’ first impression of your business might be their last. 

The full “branding package” is usually made up of a combination of both visual elements like logo, colors, fonts, and imagery, as well as non-visual elements like your mission statement, values, and overall messaging. The key to any successful brand is consistency. Making sure the look and feel of your business is the same across all client-facing platforms is crucial to creating a cohesive brand experience that your customers will remember. As your brand evolves, so too should your website.

Contact Us Today & Begin Building Your Pixel-Perfect Website

B2B websites don’t need all the bits and baubles of most B2C websites, but they should meet some standard quality requirements in order for your business to remain competitive. If you’ve encountered any of the above issues, it might be time to consider a redesign. Here at Ecreative, we can create a redesign plan that enhances the strengths of your website and targets opportunities for improvement. Learn more about our custom industrial website design and development services or contact an expert to begin discussing your redesign needs.