Your website might have been innovative years ago, but today, it may be outdated.
Your site is usually where you make a positive first impression to potential clients, or for those researching further into your organization. If someone interested in your services visited your site today, would they see a modern platform or something that looks like it was made with GeoCities in 1996?
Here are some of the most common reasons clients often turn to our St. Louis web design and development for help.
A non-responsive website
By now, you’ve probably heard the terms “mobile friendly” or “responsive web design.”
Those are not just buzzwords, they are essential to the success of your business. Statistics show that websites are now being viewed more on smartphones and tablets than they are traditional desktops, with mobile internet usage surpassing desktop in 2016 for the first time ever. So, how does that affect you?
If you have a non-responsive website design, you’re letting traffic slip through your fingers. Worse, your ranking on search engines is likely to plummet. Customers are used to having a seamless experience on a website, no matter what device they are using. If they can’t use their website on their mobile device, they likely won’t use it at all, so you need to be prepared, either way.
The site can’t be easily updated
Your site must be easy to operate and update. If you’re paying someone else to update your site every time a change is necessary, that’s money you could be saving.
You shouldn’t have to worry about one change hurting your entire website, either. Using WordPress or a similar content management system (CMS) simplifies the update process, it also makes adding new features easy in the future.
Objectives weren’t being met
Does your website hold up against your competition’s? Concentrate on maintaining ongoing traffic and lead generation.
An aesthetically pleasing site won’t increase your customer base or sales if they’re not correctly targeted. Mixing a strong St. Louis marketing strategy with a great looking website is essential.
Search engine optimization
An SEO strategy may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s necessary for many businesses and non-profits. Perhaps you need a better approach because your fundamental SEO standards aren’t being met. Establishing a strong strategy can enhance your incoming traffic and place your site in a position where it gets the attention it deserves.
Perhaps you need a better approach because your fundamental SEO standards aren’t being met. Establishing a strong strategy can enhance your incoming traffic and place your site in a position where it gets the attention it deserves.
The website isn’t easy to use
Your site should be developed for your customers. How will they engage with your site?
When they visit it, what are they searching for? Major brands do a superb job at learning what precisely their customers are looking for and use that data to give them a customized experience. You, too, should work to anticipate the needs of your customers, and then meet them.
Sometimes, it’s less about the overall design and more about the information architecture or user experience that surrounds it.
The functionality or design of the website is outdated
You might get so overwhelmed concentrating on your daily duties that updating your website becomes a task that gets neglected. Redesigning your website can help solidify your branding endeavors and can work wonders for improving functionality. It also gives you a chance to readjust your overall brand positioning.
Not everyone can view your site
This often gets forgotten because it doesn’t affect you directly. If your website was developed for your customers, does it also factor in those who are sight-impaired and use screen readers? What about those with slow internet connections? If it doesn’t, you might be letting potential customers slip through your fingers. We make use of an accessibility test online that is free to use. Prior to launching a site, this test lets us know if it’s web accessible for all.
If it doesn’t, you might be letting potential customers slip through your fingers. Consider if ADA accessibility is important to your brand or organization. For non-profits, banks, utilities and healthcare companies, ADA audits and compliance are exceptionally important.
When developing your site, keep the following in mind:
- Ensure your site follows proper HTML structure.
- For those who don’t us a mouse to navigate a site, keyboard support should be available to them.
- Don’t use pictures to display text. Screen readers can’t read pictures, and your SEO value will suffer with this method.
How does your existing website hold up based on the factors mentioned in this article?
Questions or ready to learn more about how to make the best of a redesign? Contact us today to set up a free consultation where we can lay the right foundation to a new website or rebrand online.
