Web Design Websites play a critical role in the success of any digital marketing strategy. That is why brands invest hundreds to thousands of dollars in the development of their sites. It is possible that you hired an overpriced website designer or spent hours working on it yourself. But in one way or another, your site is not giving the expected results and thinking of redoing the work is formidable to anyone.

Nonetheless, if your site is constantly losing visitors, whether it is due to low aesthetic value or poor user experience, a redesign must be considered. The process may not require entire modification of your website but can be as simple as making functional changes only. The primary purpose of redesigning your site is to achieve the marketing goals. For example, the focus of e-commerce is converting page visitors into buyers and if website design is the limiting factor, it must be fixed.

A problem identified is half solved and the redesigning process begins identifying the potential website issue. But how do you tell it is the right time to redesign your site? Below we discuss the signs that indicate a website overhaul is long overdue. So, read on.

 

If your bounce rates are high

Bounce rate is determined by the number of users who visit only one page of a website during their session. The rate varies by site with the average being 40-50% which translates to 4 out every 10 people only visiting a single page of a website.

Poor user experience is the primary cause of high bounce rates.  When a visitor finds it difficult to navigate your website, the probability of leaving while on the first page is high. As a result, the bounce rates rises. Using Google Analytics, you can evaluate the rates for your site and consider a redesign if the figures are high.

 

If your pages take too long to load

All of us are impatient to a certain level but when it comes to web browsing, no user will wait for a page that takes half a minute to load.  Tools like Gtmetrix and Pingdom are essential in checking for page speeds and when your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, web redesign for speed optimization is necessary.  This is in accordance with the findings of a study that showed approximately 50% of visitors leave if a site does not load within 3 seconds. The longer the loading time, the fewer the conversions you are likely to get.

 

If your site has broken links

Broken links are also referred to as dead links. When a visitor clicks such links, he does not go to the intended page but lands on the 404 or 401 error page which reads ‘page is not found’. These links may mean ‘death’ of a website because they cause poor user experience which ultimately leads to lower ranking on search engines.

There are various free and paid tools that you can use to check for dead links on your website for example brokenlinkcheck.com. If you find any, you need to remove and replace them with the right URL.

 

If your website is not HTTPS encrypted.

Online security breaches are on the rise. Internet users are therefore becoming more selective on the sites they visit with preference for websites that guarantee security of their personal details.

Usually, the ‘Not secure’ label appears on the browser’s search field when a HTTP encrypted site is opened and can cause user to leave your page for fear of data loss. This problem can be overcome by using Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secures(HTTPS) protocol on your site. HTTPS precludes unauthorized third parties from accessing information transmitted to and from by distorting it. HTTPS-encrypted site has a lock icon when opened on the browser and this gives visitors confidence to use the site since it is secure.

If your website is not encrypted with HTTPS, a redesign would be necessary in boosting your page views.

 

If your site is mobile unfriendly

With the changing digital trends, most online searches are done via mobile devices and not desktops as it were previously. Every website therefore needs to be optimized to operate on mobile devices seamlessly as it does on computers. If your website does not run properly on mobile phones for example, you need to redesign it with a responsive model which dramatically user experience on such devices.

 

If your site lacks on-page search engine optimization (SEO)

On-page SEO is critical in attaining higher search engine ranking relevant searches like services offered. This type of SEO involves using unique title tags, formatting page URL with the relevant keywords, image optimization, meta descriptions and including internal links among others. For instance, every page of your website must have an exclusive title tag that describes the its main point. When a page is opened, the title tag appears on the browser tab as part of HTML. It is this tag that search engines such as Google uses to create listings.

 

If your website is difficult to navigate

Navigation has a huge contribution to the overall site performance as it affects nearly all aspects of the website. For instance, it affects bounce rate, search engine ranking and user satisfaction.

Site visitors are usually searching for specific information or items and they want to find it as quickly as possible. When a visitor finds the site complex and difficult to navigate, frustration sets in and a few seconds, he or she abandons the page without engaging your business. It should be easy for even a basic internet user to locate items of their interest on your website.

If you discover any difficulty in navigating your website, then the time is right for a redesign.