Signs your website needs a redesign

In case it’s not obvious, I completely redesigned my website over the holidays. It has become an annual tradition for me. Every holiday break, I refresh my website. Sometimes, it’s just a tweak here and there, and other times, it’s a new look like this year. As a web designer, this is an excellent way for me to showcase new design techniques and features I’ve learned and to give me a way to share those with clients and potential customers.

How do you know when your website needs a redesign? Maybe you’ve noticed your traffic falling off, or when you look at your website, you know you aren’t making the best impression you should. Here are some telltale signs it’s time to update your website design:

It’s not responsive

A mobile-responsive website isn’t an option; it’s a must. A mobile-responsive design will adjust to each screen size. Unfortunately, Google flags sites that aren’t mobile-friendly and it doesn’t give them the same treatment in rankings as those that are. That means your competitor’s mobile-responsive website has the edge over your older, non-responsive website.

It’s been 3-5 years since you launched your website

Yes, technology constantly changes, and a website built three years ago might need a redo. Perhaps your theme was authored before your website launched. Maybe your business focus has changed, and your old design no longer highlights the services you are focused on. Photos could be of past employees or jobs you’ve long moved on from. You need to consider these red flags when designing a new website.

You can’t update your theme, plugins, or PHP version without things breaking

While this can also be a hosting issue, another common occurrence with older website designs is the inability to update things properly. For example, the theme breaks when you try to upgrade your PHP version, or a plugin used in your design displays an error. How much time are you spending trying to keep your website up without errors?

It’s slow to load

Does your website take more than 3 seconds to load? You can check that on GTMetrix. It’s another big issue for Google search. Google and your site visitors want your site to pop up instantly. Again, an old design can be the culprit. The hosting plan you paid for years ago isn’t up to the job for new designs.

You’re getting less traffic

Is traffic dropping off slowly over time, and you don’t know why? Are you competitors in shiny new designs while trying to make it work? You may not even track your site analytics, but the phone stopped ringing.

You never added an SSL to your website

Google announced in 2018 that SSL certificates (https://) were needed for everyone, not just websites with shopping carts and payment gateways. If you have resisted this, it’s time to accept that it’s a must-have, just like your annual domain and hosting.

Do you want to discuss a redesign?

If you need to update your website design and are unsure, please contact me. I would be happy to review your website and let you know if it’s time to refresh its design.