If you go to Google and search for “how often should I redesign my website,” the top result that mainly comes up is once every two to three years. But you might ask, is that it? Why that timeframe?
There is no standard time you need to consider when deciding to redesign your website. You need to rely on data from the site itself, the users, and the website’s purpose to determine if it’s time. So, what information do you need, and how do you get it?
How often you should redesign your website
What Redesigning Your Website Means
There are many elements of website design. The graphics, the interface design, and the content are all confined to web design. Therefore, to redesign the website, all these elements must be entirely or partially changed. In effect, the site will have improved performance, a new look, and, in some cases, a new purpose.
Essential Data You Need Before You Decide to Redesign a Website
Collecting critical data such as web traffic, conversion rates, and website analytics has become so easy nowadays. Given that this information is vital to evaluating your site’s health, it will be crucial in your decision to redesign the site.
1. Web Traffic
How often you should redesign your website
Website traffic is defined as the amount of data sent and received by visitors to a website. It reflects how the web visitor found your site, interacted with it, and how long they were on it. All this data is recorded by analytics tools such as Google Analytics.
There are essentially four types of web traffic. There is direct, referral, organic, and social traffic. Out of the four, organic is the most sought-after since its traffic comes from an online search.
As a website owner, you need to strive for organic traffic. Most web users trust results from their search, and when your website ranks for their search terms, they are likely to believe that you have the solution to their query. The good thing is that you can redesign your website to rank higher in search results.
2. Conversion Rates
How often you should redesign your website
Conversion is usually one of the goals of creating a website. It refers to the rate at which web visitors turn to customers. In other words, the percentage of web visitors who take the desired action.
To calculate your website’s conversion rate, you will need variables such as product/service type, traffic source, location, etc. This information helps you figure out whether you are reaching the right audience.
Conversion rate can be affected by the User Interface of your website, load time, and persuasion level incorporated in the web content. A professional web designer will highlight areas that can be improved and their impact.
3. Web Analytics
How often you should redesign your website
Analysis of a website involves the collection, interpretation, and reporting of web data for audits. In that case, web traffic and conversion rate data are incorporated into web analysis. With web analytics, you can decide what you need to add or remove on the site to improve it.
Web analytics can tell you the number of links your website has and their value. From the same data, you can find out how your site performs compared to similar sites in search engines. With this data, you become more aware of what’s working and what’s not.
Today, MonsterInsights and other powerful WordPress plugins can help you collect, analyze, and visualize meaningful data such as web analytics, conversion rates, and traffic.
How Often Should You Audit Your Website
How often you should redesign your website
Your primary concern should not be redesigning the website but rather auditing it. However, for non-techies, web audits can be daunting. In a web audit, the data collected by automation or manually must be assessed and interpreted accurately to gauge a website’s status. This status will, therefore, help you decide if redesigning your website will be necessary.
A website audit should highlight if the website is up to date, performs optimally, and fulfils its intended purpose. To clarify, your website needs to have the latest features in the industry and address customer pain points.
Website design trends are a great source of inspiration for a makeover. Trends such as designing for compatibility with multiple devices, accessibility features, and responsiveness show that web design is now more focused on the user, which is good.
If you are doing the maintenance for your website, check out the numbers on the dashboard and make sense of them. Meanwhile, you are lucky if a professional web design agency manages your website. The benefit of having someone else maintain the website for you is you are assured of optimal performance.
Why You Need to Redesign Your Website
How often you should redesign your website
We have outlined why you need to consider several elements of your website before embarking on a makeover. This leaves you wondering, what happens if you don’t redesign and stick to your current design? Many things will happen. The most common is that your site will lose relevance, then the site’s usage will drop significantly, and eventually, there will be financial losses.
An outdated website will discourage user engagement due to bad user experience, low ranking in search engines due to lack of SEO, and the ROI from it will be too low.
Looking for a Website Designer Near You?
Have you been experiencing a drop in numbers on your dashboard? Are your customers complaining? Maybe it’s time for a makeover. Contact us for a quote and let us help you get back on top of where you belong.
