Website Longevity – When To Invest In A Change

In the technology and design industry, things change and move very quickly. Which is why it is no big surprise that some companies struggle to keep up! Even though those companies are innovative and proactive, the world of marketing and design is evolving daily. Most business owners have gone through several website redesign projects and understand how often updates and fresh content are needed. These are especially important with Google’s recent changes.

The goal of a great website is to give the user a chance to virtually experience your products and/or services. The design should take your visitors through all facets of your company including your mission and vision. When you come to realize that your website no longer serves these purposes, it’s time to consider redesigning your site or starting over completely.

The issue is, keeping up with the proverbial online “Joneses” can be time-consuming. For most business owners, there already is not enough time in the day. So how do you know when the benefits of a redesign will outweigh the opportunity cost? This blog will go over a few important aspects to consider when attempting to answer this question.

What is the average shelf life of a website?

Unsurprisingly, this is the question most commonly asked by business owners and web designers alike. It is in the nature of most business professionals to want predetermined parameters. They want to know the industry standard for replacement so they aren’t spending time and money unnecessarily. For a long time, the accepted answer to this question has been 2-5 years. The actual answer, however, is that there is no real answer.

Every website is as unique as the business itself. Because of this, it is difficult to determine a standard lifespan for web design, even within the same industry.  Instead, longevity is based on things like market trends, product and service offerings, and client preferences.

This is where analytics come into play and why it’s so important to stay up to date with your web space trends. Look at where your clients are going and what pages they are spending most their time on. Is this what you have put emphasis on or is your site structured to highlight a different aspect? Do you have the right SEO keywords or are you missing out on potential clients? Most importantly, what is your bounce rate?

Is it time for a website redesign?

After you have reviewed the analytic data and have the answers you need, you have to decide if a redesign is the best option. If you have done or experienced any of the following things since your last update, it’s time to redesign.

• Rebranding
• New Logo Design
• Product/Service addition or reduction
• Decreased lead generation
• Increased bounce rate

So if you aren’t experiencing any of these, your site is good “as-is”, right? Unfortunately, that is not necessarily true. This just means that you haven’t fallen behind the curve, and that’s great! You need to keep that trend going and that means researching your competition and keeping track of the market trends.

Something to keep in on the front of your mind is that redesign is not simply about the layout and appearance of your site. It is also about technology, messaging, engagement, and most importantly conversion. Numbers do not lie. Bounce rate tells you the number of people coming to your website and how long they stay. If potential clients cannot easily find what they are looking for, they aren’t likely to stay long. This can, in turn, negatively affect your conversion rate. Redesign and optimization can help to reverse these trends and Circle City Digital can help!

How do you Increase the longevity of your website?

The simple answer to this question is to be proactive. Keep your site relevant by removing pages and content that are no longer applicable to your goods or services. Make sure your site is as user-friendly as possible by consolidating menu bars and options. These are simple things that can be done to help increase the life of your design.

Another aspect to consider is mobile optimization. We live in a world of resizing, reshaping, zooming and large font sizes. People view websites from thousands of different screen sizes, for example. Make sure that your web space is viewable to all of them in a way that is easy to navigate and use! Your website should be able to be viewed on all technology platforms from your sisters iPad to your Grandma’s cell phone.

Adding new content on a regular basis will ensure that you stay relevant. Blogs and images are a great way to connect to your audience and provide the information they want. Additionally, videos are an option that can add variety to your material. High-resolution images and video are a solid investment for updating and repurposing a website. The best part of this tactic is that they can quickly give you an up to date feel. Investing the time to get good quality visuals for your website is sure to pay off.

The Nuts & Bolts

Today’s world is all about technology and we live right in the middle of it. Create a digital plan that will thrive and keep up to date with the newest trends.  Adapt, update, renew, and refresh to keep your customer base engaged and all forms of marketing in sync. Identifying and correcting issues before they become a problem, that is the ultimate goal. We realize, however, that staying ahead of the game isn’t always possible. Regardless of the position you are currently in, however, CCD can help get you where you need to be. Give us a call today and work with our team of experienced professionals to get back on track!