There’s no getting around it – redesigning your website can seem like an intimidating project. After all, it’s how your company shown to the world. How can you know if your company will gain a return on investment on a redesign? Often overlooked, how your site looks to a potential customer can have huge effects on your sales, credibility and perception in the mind of the public. Without a background in design and lead generation, it can be hard to differentiate if it’s creating the most traction.
The good news is, there are a few key issues that could indicate it’s time for a redesign, and are easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for:
1. Dated imagery One of the first things users notice when they go to a website is what and how visuals are incorporated. Too many generic, unoriginal or dated stock photography on a website, creates immediate questions in the mind of the user.
2. Poor legibility Word to the wise: if your background is navy blue, black is a bad font choice. Too often, important information is left unread simply because the color scheme is off or the font is hard to read. Illegible does not equal inventive. With ADA compliance being more and more in the forefront consider a classic white background and black font combo.
3. Analytics are telling To give a concrete example, let’s say that part of the redesign plan involves incorporating more content. All the research to this point says that we’re not giving our customers enough information, and they want more. We’re experiencing a high dropout rate when it comes to our traffic. So, we add new pages, give more of a backstory into our company, and link to new content.
4. The site looks dated If your site looks like it was created in the days of dial-up internet and huge computer monitors, it’s acting as a red flag for potential customers. Make sure to avoid references to old news stories, dated terminology and, arguably most importantly, stale design. Utilizing the latest development frameworks ensures a site that works on all platforms.
5. A lack of mobile responsiveness In today’s world, we get most of our information on the go. Think of how much more time is spent in front of a phone versus desktop. According to a SimilarWeb study, the percentage of mobile device website visits grew from 57% to 63% between 2016 and 2017, and has continued to grow in the years since. If we take this data into consideration, it only makes sense that your target market should be able to have a mobile optimized experience with your brand.
“All things being equal, a site that is effective for twice as long has twice the ROI.”
If we look at this through the lens of a cost per wear analogy, it is easy to see that, while it might seem like a large undertaking, a website redesign can have a positive return on investment. For example, if you buy a $200 coat that you plan on wearing pretty much every day during the winter months, your cost per wear is a little over $2 per use, which immediately makes the initial price seem much more reasonable. The same logic can be applied to taking on a website redesign. While you are investing resources and manpower into the project, you are reaping the benefits in the long-term.
All things being equal, a site that is effective for twice as long has twice the ROI. A great site will produce results for five years or more. A bad site will need to be redesigned within two years or less.
If you want to stay competitive, your annual budget needs a line item for digital marketing that includes website updates.
If you are currently getting 1,000 visitors and 50 are turning into contacts, and 5 of those become customers, you can make some calculations. For example, if you were to change that to 2,000 visitors, you could see the other numbers grow based on volume.
To give a concrete example of how effective a website redesign can be, let’s take a look at what it did for one of our clients. RDM Shrimp farm raises delicious, fresh, Indiana-grown shrimp. While the company was doing well, they struggled to communicate who they were via their website. With messaging, visuals, and lead generation in place, their inquiries jumped from zero to five to ten emails per day.
While this process may seem overwhelming, it is important to remember how important e-commerce is in today’s business landscape. A simple upgrade to your online presence can make all the difference in the minds of your customers, driving brand awareness and, in the long-term, sales. So, take the leap. Upgrade your brand in the eyes of consumers, and redefine yourself for the digital age.
More About ZIV
ZIV has offices in greater Kansas City and Denver, CO. Whether it’s creating a brand, implementing a digital solution to disrupt an industry, transforming a customer’s experience to gain loyalty, or executing a marketing strategy for needed growth – they’ve got you covered. Explore their capabilities and past work at letsziv.com.
