by Piper DenneyYour website is often the first impression that potential customers have of your business. A well-designed website can be a powerful tool for attracting and retaining customers, while an outdated website can turn them away. If you’ve been procrastinating on a website redesign, now is the time to take action.
What is the Average Lifespan of a Website?
The lifespan of a website can vary depending on several factors, including its design, content, and functionality. On average, a website’s lifespan is between 2 to 5 years. However, some websites may need to be redesigned sooner, especially if they are not regularly updated or are not keeping up with the latest design trends. Similarly, if a website was designed cheaply with an inexperienced designer or developer, the functionality may not last the full 2-5 years.
Why Should I Redesign My Website?
Redesigning a website is like renovating a house. Just like a house can become outdated, cramped, and cluttered over time, a website can become obsolete and difficult to navigate.
In the same way that a home renovation can improve functionality, increase space, and add modern amenities, a website redesign can improve user experience, increase traffic, and add functionality to meet the evolving needs of its visitors.
Home renovations can add value to a property and make it more attractive to potential buyers. A website redesign can enhance branding, generate more leads, and provide a competitive advantage in the online marketplace.
Cost and Timeline for a Website Redesign
The timeline and cost of a website redesign can vary depending on several factors, such as the complexity of your website, the extent of the redesign, and the designer or agency you choose to work with.
On average, website redesigns can cost between $5,000 to $50,000 and can take between three to six months, or more depending on the scope of the project. Website re-designs are typically very creative and collaborative projects, so you don’t want to rush it. Instead, you’ll want to give yourself as much time as possible for planning and development. If you want the website done by a certain deadline or milestone, you should always plan to start earlier and give yourself at least a full 6 months.
Read next: How Much Does A Website Redesign Cost?
Signs that your Website Needs to be Redesigned
A website can be one of the most important components of a company’s digital presence, but how do you know when it’s time to give it a facelift? Here are some signs that your website needs to be redesigned:
Outdated design and content
If your website looks like it’s straight out of the early 2010s, or has content that hasn’t been updated in years, it’s probably time for a redesign. Users want a website that looks modern and professional, and an outdated design can make your business appear behind the times. A few specific design elements to look out for are pixelated images, grainy gradients or drop shadows or anything that doesn’t match your current style guide.
Poor user experience
Is your website difficult to navigate? Do users struggle to find the information they’re looking for? These are all signs of a poor user experience, which can drive potential customers away.
Slow load times
In today’s fast-paced digital world, users expect websites to load quickly. If your website takes more than one second to load, you risk losing potential customers. In fact, a 1-second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.
High bounce rates
If users are leaving your website after only a few seconds, it’s a sign that something isn’t working. A new design can help improve engagement and reduce bounce rates.
Low conversion rates
If your website isn’t converting visitors into customers, it’s time for some conversion rate optimization. An updated design can help optimize your site for conversions and improve your bottom line.
“94% of consumers cited design as the main reason for leaving or mistrusting a website”
(Source: Research Gate)
Redesigning your website can be a big investment, but it can also pay off in a big way. By addressing these signs you can attract more visitors, generate more leads, and ultimately drive more business.
Best Practices for a Website Redesign
Using best practices in a website redesign can help ensure the success of the project by improving the user experience, increasing website traffic, and ultimately driving conversions. These practices have been tested and proven to work, and can help avoid common pitfalls and mistakes in the redesign process.
By following best practices, designers and developers can create a website that is not only visually appealing, but also functional, accessible, and optimized for search engines.
Conduct a Thorough Audit
Conducting a thorough audit of the current website is an essential step in the website redesign process. It involves a detailed evaluation which can provide valuable insights and help identify areas for improvement.
The audit process includes technical analysis, content review, and evaluation of the website’s user experience to identify areas for improvement. The findings from the audit can be used to set clear goals and objectives for the redesign project, such as addressing crawling issues, updating content, and restructuring the design layout of a page.
Define your Target Audience
Defining your target audience is an important step in the website redesign process. This involves identifying the specific group of people who are most likely to use your website and understanding their needs, preferences, and behaviors.
Think of it like throwing a party. If you’re planning a party, you need to know who’s coming and what kind of vibe you want to create. By understanding your audience, you can create a website that is tailored to their specific needs.
Incorporate Design Trends
While it’s important to create a website that is unique to your brand, incorporating current design trends will help make your website look fresh and modern. Some current design trends to consider include:
- Bold typography: Big, bold typography is a great way to make a statement and draw attention to important content.
- Minimalism: Simplified designs with plenty of white space and a focus on essential elements are popular.
- 3D elements: Adding depth to websites through 3D graphics and imagery is a growing trend.
- Asymmetry: Breaking away from traditional grids and layouts to create a more dynamic and unique visual experience.
- Vibrant colors: Bright and bold color schemes are becoming more popular, adding energy and excitement to website designs.
- Micro-interactions: Small interactive elements, like hover effects and animations, can make a website feel more dynamic and engaging.
- Custom illustrations and graphics: Unique, hand-drawn illustrations and graphics are being used to give websites a more personal and authentic feel.
- Dark mode: Dark backgrounds with contrasting light-colored text and elements have become increasingly popular.
When incorporating design trends into your website redesign, it’s important to ensure that they align with your brand and target audience.
Ensure Mobile and User-Friendly Design
Let’s face it, if you’re not designing your website with mobile users in mind, you might as well be selling VHS tapes in a Blockbuster. Here are some tips to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and user-friendly:
- Simplify navigation: Don’t make your visitors feel like they’re wandering through a labyrinth. Keep it simple, keep it straightforward, and keep them engaged.
- Create a responsive design: With more and more people accessing websites on their phones or tablets, it’s important to create a responsive design that looks great on any device.
- Optimize images: If your images are taking forever to load, your visitors won’t stick around to read them. Compress them to improve website load times.
- Make it accessible: Ensure your website is able to be used by people with visual, auditory, physical, or cognitive disabilities. For example, make sure text and images have sufficient contrast for users with color blindness or low vision.
Optimize Content for SEO
When it comes to redesigning a website, content should not be overlooked. It’s important to evaluate the existing content and identify gaps or areas for improvement. This will include creating new content, refining existing content, or removing outdated or irrelevant content. Content should also be optimized for SEO through the strategic use of keywords and satisfy a user’s search intent by providing valuable information that meets their needs.
How Often to Update a Website
Just like a plant needs water, sunlight, and a little TLC to thrive, your website needs regular updates to grow and stay healthy. The frequency of updates will vary depending on your website’s niche and audience. Blogging is an excellent way to introduce fresh content to your site regularly. On average, websites with regularly published blogs see 434% more indexed pages than those that don’t. So establish a regular schedule for updates and stick to it.
Finding the Right Web Design Agency
Don’t settle for a mediocre website. Finding the right web design agency is crucial to ensuring a successful web project. When deciding who to partner with, it’s important to consider their experience, portfolio, reputation, and pricing. Communication style, availability, and the technology and tools they use are also important to know beforehand. It’s helpful to have a list of questions to ask in order to determine if they are a good fit.
At Intuitive Digital, our experienced team of web designers and developers are ready to help with your next web redesign project. We understand the importance of user-centered design, and create websites that are visually appealing, easy to navigate, and provide a world-class user experience.
Our Recent Website Redesign
We decided to take our own advice and redesign our website which launched in January of 2023. Our old website was up for 3 years and 1 month. Our goal was to implement a more functional CMS that allowed for easier content updates and to create a more visually engaging website with custom illustrations that represented our commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
We also updated our brand colors to more earth-toned shades that aligned with our values of sustainability and our values as a B Corp. We believe that a website redesign is a necessary investment in a business’s online future and can make a significant impact on attracting and retaining customers, just as we strive to do for our partners.
