5 Signs Your Website Desperately Needs a Facelift

21 Aug 5 Signs Your Website Desperately Needs a Facelift

If you run a business, hopefully you’ve caught on by now to the fact that search engine optimization is vital when it comes to directing traffic to your website (and therefore getting leads for your business). It’s estimated that about 75% of searchers will never past scroll past the first page of search results, so even making it to the second page simply isn’t good enough. But what happens when your customers actually get to your website? Do visitors like what they see, or immediately hit the back button? The benefits of SEO only apply to websites that convert traffic into leads. Here are the top five signs that your website needs a redesign — ASAP:

1. It Takes a Long Time to Load
   Internet users hate slow websites. Some studies have shown that if your website takes longer than three seconds to load, a full 40% of users will abandon it altogether. While some factors affecting a site’s load time have to do with hosting, there’s plenty a web designer can do to ensure your newly updated site will load much more quickly.
2. It’s All Programmed in Flash
   Flash sites were all the rage five or more years ago because Flash allows for certain animation features. But newer coding languages allow for the same look without all the downsides: Flash doesn’t work on iPhones and iPads, and it’s absolutely terrible for SEO purposes because search engines can’t read the content on Flash sites.
3. It’s Not Compatible With Mobile
   Here’s a truth that may be hard to swallow: If your site doesn’t function on mobile devices, it’s not fully functional. While it’s possible to create two separate sites for mobile and desktop browsers, respectively, the best option these days is a responsive site. Responsive web design basically allows a website to recognize what kind of device a visitor is on and then reconfigure the elements of the webpage to make sure everything is readable and accessible.
4. It Doesn’t Have a Simple CMS
   One of the major web development advances in recent years is the rise of the content management system. Essentially, this is an interface (usually called a “dashboard”) that allows you to modify or add to the content on your website without knowing computer programming. You may still want to employ web dev experts for other reasons, but a CMS eliminates the need to call for help every time you want to update a phone number or post a blog.
5. It Hasn’t Gotten a Facelift in Years
   Web design, in some senses, isn’t that different from fashion or interior design; after a while, it will simply start to look outdated. You wouldn’t expect to wear a suit from the early ’90s to a business meeting and be perceived as a competent professional, so you shouldn’t expect your website to stand the test of time without updating, either.

Did you know that the U.S. web design industry employs around 207,419 people and grew by 2.7% annually between 2008 and 2013? Share your tips for choosing a web design company out of those ranks in the comments.