A website can be “technically operational” for years before anyone realizes how much it has declined.

While pages may load and while contact forms may be operational, it is just a matter of time before your website looks outdated to everyone, not just you. Things that may impact a user’s experience include slow load times, outdated info, poor mobile optimization, poor navigation, and poorly placed calls to action.

For your business, this could mean losing potential clients to your competition.

Think about the local plumber who has old office locations, old employees, and old contact info on their website. They may have no broken links, but they are still losing potential clients.

If you are in the same boat as this plumber, it’s time to ask the harder question. Have you been suffering from stagnant business growth with your website as it is?

Here are the top 5 reasons to give your website a new look.

1. The design is outdated.

Consider what your website looks like for a new visitor. How modern is the design? Are the images crisp? Is the layout clean? Does the branding reflect your business now?

In an instant, visitors can (and do) form their opinions. With just a few lines of text read, visitors decide whether they like something or not. An old website gives off an unprofessional, unactive feel. Businesses that have been around for a while still get this impression.

Outdated designs can point to bigger issues, too. Older websites can be a pain to update because they use old, outdated code and design structures.

A modern design shouldn’t just be about new colors. It should focus on the overall structure.

2. Your Website Stinks on Mobile

Take your website to the cafeteria and view it on your phone.

Take note of your website’s legibility. Are the buttons large enough to tap? Is your phone number easy to view? Does your site’s navigation work without a hitch? Is your site’s contact form user-friendly on mobile?

These small things matter a lot. Not only will Google rank your website according to your mobile version, so will your customers, who will likely search for your business on their phones.

If your website burdens potential customers with too much work to find what they need, you lose that customer to a competitor that will be one click away.

If you need to improve the overall experience of your website and do not want to cite responsive design as an afterthought, an upgrade will likely be required.

3. Your Web Pages Load Slowly

A partially operational website can provide a negative user experience. Sometimes the biggest problem can be that everything takes longer than it needs to.

Unnecessary scripts, outdated plugins, slow server response time, and poor website design can impact how fast a page loads.

Before assuming and implementing design theories, test your website. Use Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights to find out why your site loads slowly and how to identify Performance and Core Web Vitals issues.

Although strong scores in Core Web Vitals may not result in a ranking change, Google prioritizes the creation of a good page experience when considering other page improvement factors.

A slow website may not warrant a total redesign. You may be able to improve your website’s performance with changes to your website’s images, design, plugins, and caching, or with a change to your web hosting.

If a slow website is due to an outdated design, you may need to redesign your website.

4. Your Website is Outdated

Businesses change.

Changes to services offered, range of products covered or sold, staff changes, price changes, and changes in audience served can happen even in a short period of time.

Changes to your business need to be reflected on your website.

Check your:5 years old 

• Service pages
• About page
• Team information
• Contact details
• Office locations
• Testimonials
• Portfolio or project examples
• Business hours
• Calls to action

If your website still captures the business you had several years ago, clients will be misled.

Picture a business in Calgary that expanded from doing solely residential to doing commercial projects, yet their website is still only devoted to residential. That business has evolved yet its website has not.

A gap is then created between what the business provides and what potential clients perceive.

Often, content that is not current is not the only concern. If potential clients are faced with an old design, poor content layout, weak service pages, and technical issues, working with a Calgary web design Company for a larger website redesign may be the better option.

5. People Visit Your Website but Don’t Take Action

Having lots of visitors on your website is not enough to make it a successful website.

People visiting your website may not be calling, filling out forms, requesting quotes, scheduling appointments, or purchasing goods. There could be hindrances that restrict people from progressing.

Evaluate the client journey.

Can clients understand the services you offer? Where is your contact information? Are there clear call to action areas? Does your navigation give a sense of direction? Is it easy to navigate the forms?

A website that looks good to you may not be working efficiently to sell your services.

A good example is a Calgary landscaping company that receives hundreds of visitors every month, yet because potential clients have to navigate a lot of pages to find a quote form, many end up leaving the website.

Analytics allow you to go beyond considering general traffic and assess metrics such as landing pages, user engagement, form submissions, phone calls, and conversion actions.

Signs of high traffic and poor conversions may be an indication of more than an aesthetic redesign that is needed.

What These Signs Usually Mean

One of these signs is not a clear indication of the need for a complete website redesign.

A slow page likely has technical issues that are solvable without a significant amount of work. Outdated content only needs to be updated. Most of the time, a weak call to action can easily be redesigned without a lot of work.

However, the stop work order truly only needs to be placed when there are multiple issues.

Suppose your website is 5 years old and is slow, doesn’t work well on mobile, takes forever to load, has outdated content, and generates few leads. Addressing each of these issues in isolation just kicks the can.

Rebuilding the site to match your current business goals may be a more appropriate approach under those circumstances.

What a Website Redesign Really Involves

A redesign should mean more than adding a new coat of paint.

A redesign normally begins with an assessment of the current website. This may include a review of the website’s structure, content, UI/UX web design, and performance for both desktop and mobile users, along with reviews of navigation, conversion paths, analytics, and search visibility. 

From there, a redesign could benefit areas like:

• Website structure and navigation
• Mobile design
• Building speed and optimizing website performance
• Service pages, location pages
• Call-to-action placement
• Contact and quote forms
• Content structures
• Brand identity and visual design
• Technical SEO
• Website analytics and conversion

It’s not just making the website look newer.

It’s about making the website easier for the customer to use and for the business to manage.

The length of time is dependent on the size and intricacy of the website. A small business website will likely take less time to build than a large website with many custom functionalities, integrations and connectors, service pages, or an online store.

Why Working With A Local Calgary Company Matters

A Calgary web design Company is more than a pretty page builder.

Local businesses have their own unique customers, competitors, service areas, and search behaviors. A Calgary business might need their website to clearly communicate to customers in the different communities surrounding the business and differentiate against nearby competition.

All of these factors can dictate the structure of your website and how you capture potential customers.

The least expensive initial cost is not always the least expensive down the line. An unprepared website can lead to the accumulation of costs through various fixes and redesigns.

The better question is not how much the redesign will cost.

The better question is will the new website turn visitors into customers more effectively than the current website?

Your Next Steps

The first thing you should do is look at the five signs.

Does your website look outdated?

Does it work on mobile?

Do you have slow page load times?

Does your website content match what you do in your business today?

Have visitors been taking the actions you want them to take on your website?

If you had more than one problem, then you most likely have a website that is not helping your business as much as it should.

Before opting for a complete rebuild, check your analytics. Test your website out on various devices and check your website performance to see which pages are your money pages.

An effective redesign is more about providing visitors with better services and ultimately meeting business needs beyond having a website that is not old looking.

It represents your business in Calgary and helps meet your business goals.

For businesses considering a complete redesign, web design and development Calgary services can help address both the visual and technical sides of the website.