When was the last time you Googled something? How long did it take you to decide some websites weren’t right for you? Website visitors take an average of 15 seconds or less to decide to leave a site and look for another one. If your site’s analytics show that most people leave quickly, it’s time to consider some updates, or even a redesign.
What’s your bounce rate?
A website’s bounce rate is the amount of time a visitor spends on a single page without taking action, such as clicking on a link to another page, filling out a form, looking for more information, starting to buy something, etc. The higher the bounce rate, the faster someone is leaving your site without doing anything (not always, but often). There are numerous reasons why that happens.
- User experience. There’s often a disconnect between how someone thinks website navigation should work, and how it does work. That can lead to visitors becoming frustrated when it takes too long to find their way to the page they’re looking for. Is your site hard to get around?
- When we talk about a website’s responsiveness, we’re not talking about how quickly it can be loaded on the internet. Responsiveness is whether or not your site adjusts for the various technology being used to access it. How a web page looks on a desktop monitor can be entirely different from how it looks on a tablet or a smartphone. As more and more people use their phones for searching, making sure your site is responsive can make it easier for users.
- Out of date. Take a long, hard look at your website, then take a look at sites that look like they’ve frequently been updated. It’s often easy to tell which websites make current design and updates a priority—and which don’t. The online world changes frequently. Remember when all the cool sites featured page counters? If you still have one of those, it’s definitely time for a change. Even if you know what you want to do with your site, you may not have the skills or experience to do it yourself.
- Does it work for you, and within your industry? Are you reaching your business goals? Does your website satisfy your customers’ needs? Are you staying current within your industry? If the answer to any of these is no, it’s time to think about a change.
It’s not working correctly. Maybe your site loads really slowly. Or you have links or functions that are broken. These are the kinds of things that drive users elsewhere in a hurry. That in turn contributes to you not being able to drive sales or traffic or provide the info/education/resources your viewers are looking for.
How often should a website be redesigned?
The answer varies widely depending on your market, industry, and business goals. If you’re in a rapidly changing market or industry, you’ll want to consider redesigns more frequently. Another factor is how quickly technology changes. If your site depends on the latest technology, you’ll want to update it more often. A good rule of thumb is every 2-4 years, with the previous considerations potentially leading to earlier updates.
Ready to Learn More?
Think it’s time for your website to be redesigned or updated? Contact us for more information and estimates.
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Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash