Signs you need a business website makeover (Facelift)

Does your Website need a Makeover?

If you’ve been wondering lately whether or not your website needs improving, I’ve put together a short-list of reasons you probably should invest in a new site. I’ve focused the list around marketing targets mostly because the purpose of your website is to generate leads, not to impress your friends. Let’s dive right in…

Any website you built 2007 is old and busted, customers might be leaving your site because it looks dated (you could be losing potential customers faster than you can say “dial-up modem.”). Chances are, the last time you updated your site, it didn’t include links to social media or even a blog.

According to Stanford University, 75% of people judge the credibility of a company based on the design of its website.

If you’ve been wondering lately whether or not your website needs improving, I’ve put together a short-list of reasons you probably should invest in a new site. With this in mind, remember, the purpose of your website is to generate leads, not to impress your friends.

1. You’re not converting leads on your website: Your website’s most important job is converting visitors into leads. If your website isn’t doing it’s job, you need to do the same thing you would with any other employee — fire your website and get a new one. Every single page, blog post, and entry point on your website should be focused around that one goal — getting more leads into your business.
2. It Just Looks Outdated: Let’s face it: web design trends are changing rapidly, and if your website is a few years old, it may just look outdated. Maybe it’s an obvious thing like your copyright info still saying 2009, or you have a musical intro when a visitor lands on your site, or maybe it’s the whole site that’s the problem. Websites have evolved quite a bit over the years. Today, it’s all about clean design and easy navigation. If your site is a cluttered mess that looks outdated, it’s time for a redesign. According to a study by ResearchGate, 94% of people say that websites with good designs are more trustworthy. It’s important that your customers and potential customers trust you, and a strong re-design can help make that happen.
3. You’re Embarrassed to Give Out Your Site: For any of the reasons mentioned above, or maybe for some reason I didn’t mention, if you’re embarrassed to give your URL out, it’s definitely time for a website update! Your website is an investment in the future success of your business, and it’s important to view it that way. Having a strong online presence is no longer optional. In addition, your website can be the vehicle that helps you achieve your goals of better awareness, more leads and ultimately more happy customers.
4. Local Search: Just because your website is accessible all over the globe, it doesn’t mean that you can ignore local customers. Even in an era where sites like Amazon can send you anything from appliances to food, local search is still becoming more relevant. According to Clix Marketing, 72-percent of consumers who did local searches visited a store within 5 miles. As you’re getting ready to launch your redesign, make sure that there are some local markers such as listing your business address, using your city/locality as a keyword, and getting links from locally relevant sites.
5. Poor navigation: When your website structure is difficult to navigate or just plain messy looking, it can be a real turn-off to visitors.  Streamlined, modern web design goes a long way toward turning curious website visitors into customers.
6. The competition looks better than you: If your competitors’ message and look outshine yours then you might need to make a change. The idea is to stay ahead of the curve without copying your competitors’ marketing for the sake of keeping pace. If you don’t look and sound equal to or better than your competitors, then there is no reason for consumers to do business with you. Determine what differentiates you from your competitors and what benefits you can deliver to consumers that your competitors cannot. Once you know what those differences are, make sure the world knows them, too through your branding and marketing efforts. While first impressions can be crucial, online consumers can move quickly. If they can’t determine who you are, what you do and how you can help them in three seconds or less, they’ll pass you by. Make sure the first impression you make is clear, concise and quick.
7. Unprofessional Photos: If the words “clip” and “art” can be used to describe the graphics on your website, you should really rethink your life choices. Create quality graphics, or at least to utilize stock photos to bring your web design into the 21st century.
8. Social media, and Contact online forms: The fact of the matter is, potential customers today are more likely to contact you online first rather than pick up the phone. If you don’t provide an email address or online contact form, chances are you’re significantly reducing your successes. Integrating social media on your website by including direct links to your company profiles takes this one step further by encouraging the public to interact with your business directly on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
9. Mobile-device friendly: If your business website is not mobile-device friendly, you have a problem. Mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) are gaining ground on traditional desktops as the primary mode of searching the internet. If almost a third of your business website visitors are using a mobile device, it’s vital to ensure your site is optimized accordingly!
10. Search engine optimization issue: Is it harder to find your website than Waldo? If your business website isn’t showing up in online searches, you have an obvious search engine optimization issue.  Essentially, you want original content that’s updated on a regular basis, outside links to your site from other major websites, pages that load quickly, and website structure that’s friendly to search engines.

A website is a valuable tool for marketing and streamlining a business. With a website, pricing or product information associated with business costs can be updated in the blink of an eye- an option not available with paper based literature or advertising. A good business website will attract visitors and convert them into paying customers.

It is not unusual for a website to outgrow itself and become less effective over time.

A website will also open up an opportunity to boost your customer service options, allowing your customers a chance to communicate about those special deals and products via the quick and easy channels of e-mail.

I’ve heard the excuses a million times: “I’m just a tiny business… Why would I need to build a website?” “Designing a website sounds like so much work… Would it be worth it?” “Why bother? My customers probably won’t even look at it.” The truth is, many small businesses should have a website.

Don’t let your competition take over your position! Most companies today use internet to search for suppliers. In case you don’t own a web presentation, but your competition does, your competitor gains a competitive advantage and is likely to take over your business. Therefore, you should not wait any longer. You should become the one, whose internet presentation reaches new customers.

With just a few pages, you can have a website that gives your business tangible benefits such as:

• Customers will find you on the internet.
• Giving new contacts an easy way to learn more about you.
• Making updates easier and less expensive than printed materials.
• Providing a place for all the information you need to answer prospects’ questions.
• Making your company look professional and established, while extending your brand.
• Helping you find and connect with new clients.
• Enabling you to hit the business goal you’re reaching for.
• Your friends can promote your business.
• Website is cost-effective.
• Product catalog on a website.

These are just a few of the benefits your business can gain from a website. Of course, it takes an investment of time and money to get a website designed, coded, hosted, and occasionally maintained, but when you think of the project in terms of the payback you’ll get, you can see that creating a simple website is well worth the effort.

Obviously, a company website is the versatile tool for business, no matter what your trade. The ability to individualize and mold it into a service that fits your every need makes it a nearly priceless investment for your company.

Considering a Makeover for Your Website?

Ultimately, it is your decision whether or not to pursue a website redesign. Sometimes, the problems mentioned above can be overcome with the assistance of a web development company without committing to a full redesign. However, if you find that your problems are increasing, that you are facing several of these issues at once, or that you are suffering significantly reduced business, a website redesign might be just what you need.

In Conclusion

These are some of the most common things that should trigger website changes for your business. You may not need a complete makeover to fix these issues, but at least some critical tweaks to get you on the right page.  Let us help you give your website a facelift? Contact us for website design today.