Avatar Posted by Cameron Francis on in Website Redesign

Online marketing gurus like to highlight the need to continuously monitor campaigns, tweaking certain elements whenever it becomes apparent such moves are necessary. But a good web designer is aware of the need to examine and re-examine a website’s structure and appearance to see whether they are still effective.

The first step is to determine whether a website redesign is needed.

4 Signs a Website Redesign is Needed

1. It Doesn’t Match The Marketing

Let’s face it. When we talk about successful websites, we are talking about those that attract traffic and keep that traffic engaged. Clearly then, the site needs to complement your marketing campaign. But while that makes perfect sense, it’s not unusual for marketing strategies to change quite dramatically without any changes being made to the website. In a web credibility study from Stanford University, 75% of respondents judged a website’s credibility based on its design. So, a redesign to optimise a website is clearly important.

Of course, it’s the same with brand image. It’s no accident that major brand names have aesthetically pleasing sites. In some ways, they mirror glossy magazines with large high-definition photographs that are pleasing to the eye and feed the imagination. With the product’s reputation established, visitor experience should reflect consumer expectation. So, check whether your web design matches your business objectives. If the site fails to coincide with your goals, it’s time for a change.

2. Awkward to Navigate

One of the most obvious signs a redesign is needed is if a website is difficult to navigate. Few things are more irritating to a visitor than a homepage that needs to be deciphered. Most web designers are already aware of this, and are moving toward simpler designs. Consider Parallax Scrolling, which offers a captivating visual experience with minimal text. This shows that less is more – so keep navigation options to a minimum. While innovation and creativity are great weapons to have in your arsenal, certain traditional elements, however, need to be retained. Visitors already know what they are looking for, so the navigation bar should be one of the regular places (top, bottom or left column), and labels must be clear.

EConsultancy put together a good collection of easy-navigation website template options in 2014. For a more current overview, take a look at the winners in Best Navigation/Structure category of the 2015 Webby Awards earlier this year.

3. Where’s The Responsive Design?

With the number of tablet users in the world expected to exceed1 billion by the end of this year, and 2.6 billion smartphone subscribers worldwide expected to grow to over 6 billion by 2020, Responsive Design is a must for modern web designs. Why? Because web users are conditioned to expect the same experience across all devices, with screen size and resolution changing automatically to suit a particular device. It’s a break away from long-established norms in web design, but since users get frustrated when they can access favourite sites on one device but not another, the market demands a change in approach. If your site is not responsive then it should be redesigned or risk losing your visitors.

4. Your Audience Has Changed

Ever heard of the old adage that businesses must change with the times to survive? Well, it’s the same for websites. A company may start to actively seek sales from a new demographic when research data suggests it’s a more profitable category. It’s all to do with buyer persona, or the key characteristics of a company’s ideal customer. Is the website geared to appeal them? If not, then a website redesign is going to be needed. It does not always mean a complete overhaul, but restructuring navigational pathways and adapting the site to increase social media traffic are both commonly required alterations.

Website Redesign By Experts

Getting your website redesigned should not be taken lightly. There are many elements that go into completing a successful redesign, each of which are significant in their own right. So, it’s always best to turn to proven experts.

Designing websites is something we at eTraffic Web Design have built our reputation on. And included amongst our services is expert Website Redesign, where we consider the unique design requirements of an existing site and customise it to meet specific customer needs, incorporating such elements as video, image and optimisation.

Other services include:

For more on what eTraffic Web Design can do for your business, simply drop us a line. You can fill in our online enquiry form or call us on 1300-887-151, to speak directly with one of our team.

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