5 Signs it’s Time to Redesign Your Website

If you’re like a lot of business owners, you created a website when you started your business and haven’t changed it much since that time. I can relate. The McAuley Freelance Writing (MFW) website was originally a blog-only site that was (slightly) updated over four years. Those first versions were created without real focus on who my target client is and the story I wanted to tell.

I started asking colleagues what they thought of my now-old website and they gave honest feedback.

• What do you DO?
• How can you help my business?
• Who is your target client?

It became clear the design was outdated, the content needed to be updated, and a clear message needed to be articulated. It was time for a website redesign.

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Here are five signs it’s time to redesign your website:

1. Your website is not mobile friendly. According to Mashable, as much as 17.4% of global web traffic comes through mobile devices (cell phones, tablets, etc.), making it important to have a website that is mobile friendly. I thought my old website was mobile friendly until my colleague pulled it up on her cell phone. Surprising to both of us was that the call to action was at the bottom of the page. Even if someone wanted to contact me, they wouldn’t see my contact information until they scrolled through the rest of the content. That was my first clue that it was time to redesign my website.
2. There isn’t a clear call to action. If your website isn’t telling visitors what to do then it’s not doing its job. Whether in the desktop or mobile version, your website needs to tell people what you want them to do. Calls to action can be as simple as CALL US or SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter.
3. People ask questions about your business that you thought you answered on your website. I can’t tell you the number of times I was asked, “What do you DO?” when all the while I thought I had clearly articulated it on my website. The reality was that my website wasn’t telling a story about my business and it should have been. Your website is your calling card, a way for people to get to know you and your business. If they leave your website with more questions than they came with, it’s time to redesign your website.
4. Your message isn’t focused on your target market. In addition to having a website that tells a story about your business, it should have a clear message focused on attracting your target market. While it might seem limiting at first, identifying your target clients helps you weed through prospects that may not be ideal for your business. It also helps your networking contacts know who they should refer to you. EVERYONE is my target client isn’t going to help you build your business; you’ve got to narrow the field.
5. Fresh content hasn’t been added recently. Google loves when we’re adding fresh content to our website and it helps maintain your search engine ranking (SER). The simplest and most cost effective way to add content to your website is to blog. Not only does Google love new, relevant content, you establish yourself as an expert in your field and provide a resource for your clients and prospects by answering their most asked questions.

While I don’t do website design, I have colleagues who would be happy to help you. Working together we can create a design and website copy (words) to attract your target client.

Contact me today at 480-206-6452 to learn more.

My goal is to help you become a blogging badass, so you can reach your audience whether you’re writing a business or a personal blog.