There’s no doubt that we are living in a digital age, where the internet is the first place people turn to when they have a need or a problem to solve. It’s more often than not the first place your potential customers will learn about the products or services you offer.

For most small to medium-sized businesses, their website is their marketing hub so it must perform effectively. The performance of your website will set the foundation for your business’s success.

But, as a business owner, how do you recognise when your website’s performance isn’t up to scratch?

Some signs are easy to spot – your phone stops ringing, enquiries are down or online sales are dwindling. Others relate to functionality issues, the evolution of technology or changes in online audience habits.

Here we take a close look at 8 significant signs you need a new business website – do any of them apply to you?

It’s been 5+ years since your last website redesign

While there is no hard and fast rule for how long a website should last, online technology, best practices and how people interact on the internet are constantly evolving. As one of your most important marketing tools, your website needs to keep pace with these changes and the competition. Often it’s the first touch-point with potential customers when they are searching for the products and services you offer and, critically, a deciding factor in whether or not they’ll do business with you.

For most businesses, we recommend a website redesign every 4-6 years to stay ahead of the curve. If your website is showing its age, an overhaul will ensure that you make a positive and lasting impression on potential customers and have a massive impact on your business success.

It’s difficult to update or add new content

You shouldn’t have to rely on a web developer to make changes to your website for you – and if you are, it’s likely costing you time and money. A well-built website with a content management system (CMS) platform like WordPress should make it easy for you to quickly add a blog post, change a product description, edit content or perform other simple tasks.

A business owner needs to be able to take charge of their website to keep it fresh and relevant without having to learn code or be a web designer. If your website is built on a platform that is cumbersome or difficult to work with, now is the time to upgrade to a website with an easy-to-use CMS.

Your website isn’t mobile-friendly

As mobile technology has developed so have the internet browsing habits of consumers with more and more turning to mobile devices to find what they are after online. In fact, in New Zealand mobile phones now account for almost 60% of internet traffic. With this in mind, it makes sense to make sure your website is mobile-friendly with intuitive navigation, quick loading and responsive design to look great on any device.

From a search perspective, Google relies on mobile-first indexing which predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. If your site doesn’t pass the mobile-friendly test then it will be penalised in search rankings – you could be missing out on a lot of traffic and potential customers.

With user engagement on mobile devices continually growing, a mobile-first approach in designing your new website is the smart choice.

You’re not getting any traffic from search engines

Simply having a website won’t matter if no one can find it. If your website isn’t ranking near the top of search results, then you could be missing out on traffic, leads, and sales. So how can you ensure your website is ranking high in organic search results? The answer lies in search engine optimisation – a well-optimised website will ensure you are reaching prospects that are searching for the target keywords related to the services or products you offer.

SEO should be an integral part of any website build and sets the foundation for performing well on Google. All the fundamental technical and on-site factors need to be covered from including the right keywords in titles, headers, body copy, meta descriptions, and URLs to having relevant content that people want to read and share.

For a quick assessment to see how well your current website is optimised, we offer a free SEO report.

Your website has a high bounce rate

A website’s bounce rate is the percentage of visitors that leave a webpage without taking an action, such as clicking on a link, filling out a form, or making a purchase. Several factors will influence whether a visitor will stay or leave such as poor user experience, your content isn’t engaging enough, your website isn’t relevant to their needs, or slow load time.

So why is a lower bounce rate so important? It’s used as a ranking factor by Google for search results. An engaged visitor will spend more time on your site and complete more actions which is a signal to Google that your website is highly relevant to the searcher’s needs.

The optimal range for a bounce rate is between 26% and 40% so if your website is higher than this (check this on Google analytics), it’s a sign that some urgent action is needed.

You have poor conversion rates

Ultimately the purpose of a website for a commercial enterprise is to generate leads or sales – if your conversion rates are low, it could be a symptom of some of the other issues outlined in this article. Your website needs to be appealing to instil confidence in potential customers while ensuring your messaging is on point and relevant to your target audience. Back this up with compelling calls to action that will stimulate prospects to buy, sign-up or make contact.

There is no real barometer for what a “good” conversion rate is as it can be influenced by your industry, the types of conversion being tracked, and your positioning in the market too.

Your website needs to be built with conversion tracking in mind, using Google analytics so you can track exactly how many website leads you’re getting and where they’re coming from. This will provide valuable insight highlighting what is working and what needs tweaking.

Your website is slow to load

Nowadays people have become accustomed to getting what they want when they want it and no one wants to wait more than a few seconds for a website to load. If your website is slow to load, buyers are more likely to lose patience, bounce back to the search results, and go to a competitor’s website. Not only does slow load time hurt bounce rates but Google also prioritises site speed when determining a website’s search ranking.

According to industry research, the average website speed is 3.21 seconds. A good way to test whether your website is slow loading is to use Google’s PageSpeed Insights, enter the URL in the field and Google will give you a rating. If your website is extremely slow, with the majority of your pages taking longer than 4 or 5 seconds to load, then now is the right time to consider a new website.

Your website doesn’t reflect your brand

Your website is often the first impression visitors have of your business and can be the difference between earning a potential customer or yet another bounce. Your website should be visually appealing, represent the unique personality of your business, send a clear message about your company offering and set you apart from your competitors. It’s essential to make sure it reflects your brand with your logo, colours, fonts, brand patterns, icons and style aligned to your other marketing materials and channels.

Avoid using off-the-shelf, pre-made themes or online website builders which often end up looking like a clone of hundreds of other websites. Make sure you’re remembered for having a well-designed site that aligns with your brand, your message, and resonates with your customer’s expectations. CubeMedia specialises in web design Hamilton businesses rely on to reach their goals.

Do you need a new website?

If you’re experiencing any of these major problems with your site, now is the time to act with a website redesign.

The bottom line is a good website helps build trust in prospects, encourages them to convert and drives customer loyalty – all things that are critical for success in the digital age. If your current website doesn’t reflect who you are as a brand or is slow at loading content, it’s harder for potential customers to connect with you. Making sure your website is up-to-date and designed with conversion tracking in mind should be the first step in gaining more leads from your online presence.

If you realise it’s time for a website redesign we can help. Here at CubeMedia, we specialise in creating custom websites that are tailored made for our clients. Our team of web designers, developers and content creators have extensive experience helping businesses build high-performing sites that not only look great but also drive conversions.

Get in touch today to discuss your website needs.