HomeNewsWhen’s the best time for a website redesign?
When’s the best time for a website redesign?
Building a website for your business takes investment. Whether it’s the financial cost of paying someone else to do the design and copywriting. Or the time and effort you spend doing it yourself. When your site goes live, the last thing you want to think about is starting the process all over again. But it’s good practice to know when your website will be ready for a redesign. That way, you can add it into your plans and put enough resources to one side.
Unfortunately, the question ‘how long?’ has no definitive answer. The general recommendation is to consider a new site every 3-5 years. But there are so many other things which will affect when you need to redesign your website, for example:
Changes to your branding
Missing information on your website
Difficulty updating your website
Not feeling proud of your current site
If your website isn’t optimised for mobile
When your business goals change
Why we recently redesigned The Business Village website
Genius Division had built The Business Village website around eight years ago. And whilst we’d given it a fresh look a few times since then, we knew it was ready for a complete redesign.
During those eight years, technology had moved on. Websites also looked very different, and the old design had become stale. We’d also changed our branding and the focus of our business, so the time was right to create a brand new website.
“A well-built website could potentially not need redesigning for up to ten years. But technology and Google search algorithms are changing all the time. It means older websites can easily go out of date. Companies also change their logo, branding, and products over time. With most businesses working in 3-5 year cycles, it’s a good timescale to review your website too.”
Craig Burgess, Creative Director Genius Division
The first task on the list was a content audit.
We found that the site had expanded during those eight years to around 200-300 pages. Not all the pages were live, but it made finding the ones we wanted more difficult. And it was obsolete information clogging up the website. With each page listed on a spreadsheet, it was time to decide whether to delete, update, or maintain.
What’s changed on The Business Village website?
Up to date design
We wanted the website to have a more modern design, so it’s now a fresh magazine style.
Focusing on people first
Instead of simply giving information about the space we offer, we now focus on people. It means that anyone clicking on the website will see lots of stories about our tenants. Through these stories, we hope to inspire others to grow their business too with our support.
User experience
From the web analytics, we knew that our small office spaces were popular. We’d already created separate landing pages for small, medium, and large office space. But the new website includes more about the features so people can work out which is best for them. We also show prices so it’s easy to work out which size is affordable.
The home of net zero
Another key change was to make a bigger featured section for net zero. With the success of the Net Zero Accelerator project in 2022, we want to be seen as the home of net zero in Barnsley. And we have lots of net zero information to share with others.
Faster loading speed
The new website is faster to load and gives a better experience on mobile. This is important as people soon click off slow loading websites. But it’s also good for search engine optimisation (SEO) as Google now ranks websites by mobile first. Page speed is also important for SEO.
Renaming pages
During the content audit, we found that some pages had odd titles. This was a legacy of adding extra pages over the eight years. But it’s not good for people searching, and not good for SEO. So, we renamed pages to create more intuitive titles.
“In the early days, many businesses would create a brochure site, then leave it alone until the next design. But now, they want to make ongoing updates to their site. Regular blog posts and changes to services give the reader better information. And it’s also one of Google’s ranking factors for search results.”
Craig Burgess, Creative Director Genius Division
A symbiotic relationship with Genius Division
We’ve been working with our web designer, Genius Division, for several years now. They provide us with a monthly web support package, which means they could see what people were searching for on our website.
This fed into the recommendations they suggested for some of the changes during the redesign. But they also used their experience and intuition to come up with other obvious ones.
In return, we’ve supported Genius Division to grow their business. Over the years, that’s included business support, advice, and new client connections.
“Since first working with The Business Village, we’ve doubled in employee size. It’s very much been a symbiotic relationship. We enjoy being partners with our clients and working together long-term. It means we can quickly understand what a client wants and offer a better service.”
Craig Burgess, Creative Director Genius Division
An up-to-date website will give your business credibility
We’ve shared how The Business Village website has changed to give you a few prompts for things you can check on your own site.
Why?
Because websites are important for business, and even more so as the use of technology increases.
It’s a good bet that if you’re looking for a new product or service, you’ll search online first. And you’ll take a good look at the supplier’s website before deciding whether to buy.
You’re not alone:
48% of people say a website’s design is the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business [1]
89% of consumers switched to a competitor’s website as a result of bad user experience [2]
In other words, it’s important to have an up-to-date website which looks good. If your website no longer reflects you or products and services, maybe it’s time for a redesign.
“How the site was built, who built it, and what’s changed will affect how often a website needs updating. It’s generally said that 5-10% of business revenue should go towards marketing. Add that up over three years and there’s money available to refresh your website.”
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