Is It Time to Redesign Your Website?
Heather Steele
Answering the Question "Why Isn't My Marketing Working?" | Helping Businesses Grow with Clear Messaging and Websites That Generate Leads
I was embarrassed...
Last week I met up with a colleague who mentioned he might have a good referral for me.
As we were talking, he grabbed his computer, pulled up our website, and started going through our portfolio to find some samples of our work he could send along with an intro.
Ouch.
We help people build meaningful brands and powerhouse websites for a living— we’re damn good at it.
But, our own portfolio needs some serious love… It’s ancient.
Actually, the website as a whole is desperate for an overhaul. Our industry changes quickly and drastically, so we have to update it every couple of years to stay current—(luckily) we’ve got a killer new site in the works already.
This uncomfortable situation got me thinking…
If we’re desperate for a website redesign and refresh in less than 2 years, how outdated and inaccurate are other peoples’ sites?
So, When Is It Time To Redesign?
You could try to keep things fresh with more frequent content updates that add new blog posts, keep up with staff changes on your employee profiles page, yada yada yada.
That might help, but...
Sometimes you just need to wipe the slate clean and design a new website.
These 4 criteria can help you make that difficult determination.
1. Is the Content Accurate, Clear, and Customer-Focused?
When we help clients redesign their websites, they are usually pretty shocked at the outdated information they’ve left lying around the web for anyone and everyone to see.
Our industries change.
Our businesses change.
Our goals change, and our ideal projects and ideal clients change, but (all too often) our website content remains the same.
If the content on your site doesn’t clearly communicate the problems you solve for your customers today, your website needs an overhaul.
Now Go a Step Further
Your content may be current, but it may be shining the spotlight on the wrong people.
I hate to break it to you, but no one gives a damn about your business.
The content and messaging on your website should be focused on the customer—not on you.
What prospects care about is what you can do for them.
They want to know how you can solve their problems and how you can make them look and feel GREAT.
If your website content talks mostly about you instead of how you help your customers, you’re sending the wrong message.
It’s probably time for a reboot.
2. Is the Design Easy to Read and Representative of Your Business?
When it comes to website design, content is king.
Websites should be easy to skim, easy to navigate, scroll smoothly, and—for the love of everything that’s good—use a clear font that’s large enough to read.
If there’s too much art and too few words, or if your website is full of imagery that has nothing to do with your products and services…
Websites also don’t need a tricky or creative layout just for the sake of being different.
There’s a reason most websites have the navigation, logo, and content in the same general place.
Using a familiar layout means your website visitors can focus on reading about all the amazing ways you can help them…
Instead of wasting all their brain power trying to navigate a ridiculous layout.
If your layout is all over the place, a redesign is probably your best choice.
3. Is the Website Just as Great on a Mobile Device as on a Desktop?
If your website is more than a few years old, it’s probably going to fail this test.
Even the most traditional B2B businesses get at least half of their website visitors on mobile devices.
Websites should never shrink down to a tiny version that’s impossible for customers to read or navigate on their phones, and content shouldn’t be excluded.
If it’s difficult to use or just flat doesn’t work on a mobile device, it’s time to redesign.
4. Does the Website Help You Win More Business?
Here’s the kicker:
If your website isn’t helping you grow your business, it definitely needs an overhaul.
A website isn’t a one-off expense—it’s a business development investment.
Websites that bring a high return on that investment have:
- Great informational content
- Engaging customer stories
- Convincing case studies
- Useful customer-focused resources
I don’t care what you sell or who you sell it to—your website should be an effective tool for closing deals, which means that it needs to:
- Encourage customers to learn and feel excited about how you can solve their problems
- Facilitate better interactions between your sales team and their prospects
If those things aren’t happening, you need a website overhaul.
So, Is It Time To Redesign Your Website?
If you answered no to any of the 4 questions above, then it’s probably time to set fire to your current website, opting for an overhaul and redesign.
That can be a pretty daunting task, but you’re in luck—we just happen to be amazing at creating beautiful, effective, powerhouse websites that actually help you grow your business.
Here’s what one of our awesome clients had to say about the process:
“Blue Steele did an exceptional job of guiding us through the website and content creation process.
“They understood us and our needs quickly, they were fun and easy to work with, and they were talented in the work they accomplished and in their interaction with our group.
“Most importantly, they were able to write content that we wanted but did not know how to put into words. We have received positive feedback internally and externally. We are proud of our new website and new branding.
“Partnering with Blue Steele is a wise choice.” —Laverne Maule, EMLS, Inc
Ready to get started on your new website? Schedule a consult and we’ll put together a plan.