Websites arguably change more than anything else on the internet. They have a creative component featuring trends and fads that businesses want to keep consistent with the times. Sometimes, this can be done with a website update. Other times, this may require a new website.
But how do you know when you need a new website? As a team of online marketers, web design is one of the necessary skills we have. We can help you recognize the signs that you need a new website.
1. Your Website Has a Slow Loading Speed
Many users will know how old your website is before the first web page even finishes loading. To be specific, they’ve noticed just how long your website’s loading times are.
A website should load a page in 2 seconds or less. That may sound fast, but that’s how fast the average web page loads. If you never noticed, that’s by design.
This is important because the longer a page takes to load, the higher your bounce rate will be. A web page that takes a long time to load does several things to contribute to a poor user experience:
- It tells the user that your website is not optimized
- It tells the user that your web page may have viruses/not be safe
- It bores the user/wastes the user’s time
Statista surveyed how long it takes for a website visitor to leave before the web page loads. 28% of people will leave if it takes 5 seconds to load, and 26% leave once it takes over 5 seconds. While the majority of visitors will wait those 5 seconds, that’s over a quarter of your website visitors that you’re losing to slow running speed.
This loading speed isn’t only for when someone is coming to your page. A slow loading speed is also when a web page has pop-ins after it’s supposed to be finished loading. This means parts of your website are freezing and breaking before your users’ eyes. They’ll remember that when they consider using your product or service.
2. You’ve Had the Same Design For Years
It can be hard to say when you’ve had a website design for too long. A good design can last as long as half a decade. Some designs are too iconic and comfortable to change as often as others.
The best indicator that you’ve had the same design for years is when you want to customize your website and you can’t. If your website’s existing design doesn’t let you make changes or makes it look awkward, it’s time to create a website.
3. Your Competitors Are Getting a New Online Site
Want to know what’s the best indicator for doing… anything? Your competitors.
We’re not suggesting that you copy your competitors’ every move, but sometimes you can learn more about what your business is and isn’t doing based on your competitors. If something works for them or appears to be drumming up excitement, it may be something you should be doing, too.
The same can be said for finding out what they’re not doing, which is upsetting their customers. An out-of-date website is something that people complain about. If your website is older, or not much younger, odds are good that they’re complaining about it too.
The main issue with relying on your competitor is that you can’t get ahead as often as you’re playing catchup. At the same time, if your competitor is getting or has already completed a new website, it’s typically a bad idea to stay behind for too long.
4. Your Sitemap is Getting Complicated
For those who don’t know, a sitemap is a basic layout of your website’s structure. You can access it online, but we recommend always starting from your home page and developing a family tree of your website from there. Take note of how many pages (not blog posts) are easily accessible from the home page, what pages are accessible from those pages, and so on.
When you’re done, you should have a sitemap that looks like a family tree. Having a large sitemap can be necessary, but if it’s complicated and hard to understand, you need a redesign. If you get confused with a top-down view of your website, your users will be confused while using it.
5. Your Website Traffic is Falling
Poor search engine results are truly the biggest indicator that there’s a problem.
If you’ve had a website design for a long time, but your traffic is high and growing, you can put off a redesign. If your competitors are building themselves a new website, but your traffic is where you want it, you don’t need a new website. And if your sitemap is confusing and complicated, but your website traffic is converting into the kind of revenue that you can handle, you don’t need a new website.
But the second that’s not true, you need to start figuring out where to make a change. A new website is a long-term investment for long-term gain, so don’t wait until your traffic is cratering. If you are experiencing any of these problems across your website and you see a pattern of decreasing traffic, it’s a good idea to consider taking that next step.
Contact the Team at ENX2 Legal Marketing To Get a New Website Started
Building a website is not easy and it requires experience with creativity and technology. The team at ENX2 Marketing has this experience and can help you craft a website that is easier to traverse, loads faster, and performs better.
For more information on how we can build you a new website, contact us today.
