How you know it’s time to refresh your website
Building a website for your business is a huge project with a lot of moving parts. Design. Hosting. Content. User experience. It’s no surprise that organizations with a small team find it so hard to keep their site up to date.
But all that hard work is worth it — your website is the best way to communicate with people. You want that communication to be clear, concise and visually appealing to your audience.
So, how do you know when to put in the work?
Here are four signs it’s time to give your website a refresh:
You haven’t updated your website since it launched
Whether you launched your website one year ago, or five years ago, you should revisit it — this time as a user.
Is your website still working the way you wanted it to in the initial design and development? Did the purpose of the site get lost somewhere along the way? Has your business changed its process in a way that needs to be reflected online?
The site’s visuals are outdated
Just like your wardrobe, website styles goes in and out of fashion.
There was a point where everyone was using parallax scrolling images on their site. Or maybe you’ve noticed that everyone has moved over to larger, sans serif fonts online, and your website’s text looks less-than-modern.
Take a look at what your favourite websites’ design, and how you might want to refresh your site’s look.
Your site is more confusing than helpful
Your website exists to communicate with your audience. And if your audience can’t navigate your site, they’re not going to stick around long enough to figure it out.
Clear and direct user experience is so important to connect with your audience.
Who are you? What do you offer? How can your audience get it?
If someone has to go digging for answers to any of those questions, your website needs to be restructured.
Your site doesn’t reflect your mission
Overall, your website has to reflect your organization’s mission. Design, user experience, content — all of it has to come together to represent the brand.
A person should be able to identify who you are and what you do just by landing on your homepage, with minimal scrolling or clicking around.
Attention spans are short. Communicate your value directly and concisely.
So, what do you think — is it time to revisit your site?
