First impressions matter. Your website is often a first point of contact between your business and potential customers.
An eye-catching, intuitive website design can set you apart from the competition and help grow your customer base. However, as time passes, your website might become outdated, slow, or ineffective, leading to lost opportunities and revenue. You may not realize it’s become ineffective until your contact form inquiries and conversions begin to dip.
Is your website stuck in the past? Let’s explore some key reasons why our customers have chosen to redesign their websites.
1. Outdated Design
An outdated website design is one of the most popular reasons why customers reach out to us for help. If your website looks like it was built in the mid 2010s, it’s time for a redesign.
Trends in website design change frequently. Layouts that were considered “cool” and “fresh” eight years ago most likely aren’t the same today. Websites that look old-fashioned, unprofessional, or lack consistent branding could be perceived as unreliable, irrelevant, or amateurish. An old website may also suggest to clients that you are not keeping up with industry or technological progress.
For example, Vervocity redesigned the website for Pinnacle Industries, Ltd., a Texas compressed air supplier. Their old website was outdated and lacked mobile responsiveness.
The new website includes a user-friendly, modern layout that is responsive on desktop and mobile devices. It also better reflects the quality of their services, products, and brand as a whole. Customers can now easily access information while learning the benefits of choosing Pinnacle Industries Ltd.
2. Poor User Experience
Your website’s user experience can make or break a potential client’s decision to do business with you. A poorly designed website can lead to slow loading times, confusing navigation, and an overall frustrating user experience. If users can’t find what they want or contact you easily, they’ll likely leave your website and go to a competitor.
Other examples that contribute to poor user experience include:
1. Complex, cluttered layouts – Outdated websites often have overly complex layouts with too many design elements competing for attention.
2. Low contrast color schemes – Color combinations with insufficient contrast between text and backgrounds make text hard to read. High contrast is key.
3. Overuse of graphics, animations – Too many moving elements like gifs or flash animations make sites feel dated. Use simple, clean graphics.
4. Fixed width layouts – Sites constrained to a fixed pixel width look dated on today’s wider screens. Flexible, fluid layouts work better.
5. Overuse of text effects – Things like gradient, shadow, or 3D effects on text feel outdated. Simple, clean text looks modern.
6. Slow loading times – Sites that take longer than three seconds to load frustrate users. Optimizing for speed is necessary. Use PageSpeed Insights to run a diagnosis on your website’s current speed and performance.
Cluttered content without clear direction also leads to poor user experiences. One of our clients, Chaddock, reached out to us with a need for a website redesign that included content reorganization. They wanted to ensure that their most valuable information was visible on the homepage, and all other content was easily accessible to parents and students.
Vervocity created a new, streamlined design with easy navigation and clear calls-to-action to meet their design goals. Families can now effortlessly find the information they’re looking for with just a few clicks.
3. Significant Change, Rebranding, or Expansion
Big changes, like new owners, products, or target audience, might make your website not match your business values anymore. Redesigning your website shows customers what your business is all about since the change. It can help keep them updated on improvements and showcase what you have to offer.
Businesses that have recently undergone a rebranding or expansion can use a redesign to promote these changes to customers. A redesign lets you add your new brand identity to your website, with new messaging, logos, and color schemes. Additionally, if you’ve expanded your services or locations, your website should reflect these updates.
Niemanns recently reached out to Vervocity for a new branded website when some of their stores were being rebranded from County Market to Niemanns. Since Niemanns is a new expansion of branded stores, the new website included a new logo, color scheme, and content. We used bold colors and attractive visuals to catch user attention while demonstrating what customers can expect from the stores.
4. Low Search Engine Ranking
A new website can help improve your search engine ranking. Websites not optimized for search engines likely won’t appear on the first page of search results when customers search for related keywords. Search engine optimization (SEO) optimizes websites to be search engine friendly, which can help improve your online visibility and attract more customers to your site.
If ranking poorly on search engines is the only issue that your website has, a website refresh may be an option. Vervocity offers both complete redesigns and site refreshes. Updated content, SEO blogs, technical enhancements, and other SEO changes are included within our Search Engine Optimization Services for clients looking for more visibility on search engines.
5. No Conversions
No conversions means no new online leads.
Conversions refer to the actions that visitors take on your website that lead to a desired outcome. Examples include making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to a newsletter.
Websites with a high traffic volume but a low conversion rate could have a problem with the conversion funnel (i.e., the steps that users have to go through to complete a conversion). A website redesign optimizes the conversion funnel by removing obstacles, adding value proposition, and improving calls to action.
Conclusion
Stop losing customers to an ineffective website. If you recognize any of the above factors or aren’t sure what the problem could be, reach out to us!
Vervocity has helped customers across various industries improve their online presence and grow their business. We specialize in website design for businesses in Quincy, IL, the tri-state area, and across the United States. Call us at (217) 222-1451 or contact us today to get started.
