6 Ways to Tell It’s Time for a Website Redesign

When is the last time you audited the effectiveness of your practice’s website? If you can’t remember when that was, it may be time to take a look at how well your website is working for your business.

Your website is an essential part of your practice’s marketing plan. Not only does it allow clients to find your business online, it also enables them to readily contact your office from wherever they may be.

However, if you don’t have an optimized, professional website, these clients may not be able to find you at all. Think of your website like a fishing lure in the big pond that is the internet. You want to bait it with the right stuff so that your ideal client will bite and make a visit to your practice. Hook, line, and sinker.

Do you suspect your website might be underperforming? Look out for these six signs that could mean your practice is ready for a website redesign.

1. The information on your site is out of date.

A fundamental aspect of your website is accurate contact information, such as your address, phone number, and email address. After all, without the correct information, how is a new client going to get ahold of you?

Whenever you make a big change at your practice, like moving locations, opening up an additional office, or getting a new phone number, remember to update your website and any business listings you may have.

In addition to listing contact information at either the top or bottom of your homepage, you should consider creating a separate page for this material. On this page, include a map that shows your practice’s location so that clients can easily navigate to your office.

2. Calls into your office have slowed down.

A decrease in new business could be a telltale sign that your website isn’t performing well. Oftentimes, your website is the first impression a new client has of your practice. This is especially true considering that today about 80% of people research a business before deciding to make a visit.
Local businesses, in particular, tend to benefit from web traffic, as 50% of people who make local searches visit that business within a day.

The goal of your website is to convert interested clicks into clients at your practice. If your existing website isn’t serving this purpose, it may be time for a website redesign.

3. Your website doesn’t rank well on Google.

Try searching for your website on Google using relevant keywords. As a small to medium-sized business, you may want to use identifiers such as the city you are located in. For example, an optometrist in Phoenix may enter “optometry Phoenix” or “optometrist in Phoenix” into the search query.

Note how well your website ranks on search engine results pages. Is your practice top dog? Great. Are you occupying first-page real estate? That’s good, too. However, if your practice doesn’t rank on the first page of search engine results for applicable keywords, you are likely missing out on tons of traffic to your website. 75% of people don’t click past the first page of search engine results and 60% of those clicks go to the top three results!

4. Your website isn’t mobile-responsive.

We’re willing to bet you have a smartphone. In fact, we bet you know exactly where it is right now. Many of the 95% of Americans that own a mobile phone consider this device a necessary part of their daily routine. Between answering emails, checking social media, or using maps to find a local business, the average user is on their phone 80 times a day.

Some smartphone users rely on their phones for internet access no matter where they are. Don’t let your website go unnoticed by the 52.4% of search queries that originate from mobile phones. A mobile-responsive website enables users to easily find the information they are looking for from the palm of their hands. Sites that only use desktop versions are typically harder to use on smartphones because the text and images aren’t made for such a small screen.

Google will also reward your mobile-responsive site on its search engine results pages. Mobile-first indexing means that a mobile-responsive site will rank higher than a desktop version when the search is made using a mobile device. Remember, the higher you rank, the more likely your audience is to see your website.

5. Your website is difficult to navigate.

User experience is important to both your audience and Google’s algorithm. Web visitors expect that they will be able to find the information they need from your site quickly.

Firstly, make sure that the information on each of your landing pages clearly tie to the meta title and description that is listed on the search engine results pages (SERPs). How disappointed would you be if you searched for cute puppies and clicked on a page that actually showed you historical photos of former presidents? We don’t know about you, but we’d be very bummed.

The pages of your website should be organized in a crawlable link structure. Basically, this just means that each page should be connected to another. This not only enables users to easily navigate your site, but allows Google’s algorithm to index your web pages into its expansive digital library.

6. Your web pages have a high bounce rate.

Analytics don’t lie. A high bounce rate (the number of people that click onto your web page then quickly navigate away from the site) indicates that something about your website is causing visitors to shy away from your content.

An elevated bounce rate could mean that your page is loading too slowly or that your website design is unappealing to the eye. It could also mean that your images aren’t displaying properly or contact information is hard to find. Try to look at your website from a potential client’s perspective to understand why users may be clicking out of your pages. Sometimes, it just comes down to getting a fresh, new website design.

Is it time for a website redesign?

If one or more of these six signs apply to your practice’s website, you should consider giving your site a little makeover. Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there to help you create a mobile-responsive, professional website. Don’t have the time to allocate to completely revamping your website? There are always professional digital marketing solutions to help you create a more efficient and effective website.

More resources to help you learn how to reach your business goals

What You Need to Know About Technical SEO
How to Navigate a SERP
Convert Website and Phone Leads Into Appointments
PGNlbnRlcj48ZGl2IGRhdGEtaWQ9Ijk4ZGQ2MWYzOGQiIGNsYXNzPSJsaXZlY2hhdF9idXR0b24iIG9uY2xpY2s9InBhcmVudC5MQ19BUEkub3Blbl9jaGF0X3dpbmRvdyh7c291cmNlOidtaW5pbWl6ZWQnfSk7IHJldHVybiBmYWxzZSI+PGEgaHJlZj0iIyI+PGltZyBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vaW1hdHJpeC5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMTgvMDUvbGl2ZS1jaGF0LWJsb2ctMS5qcGciIGFsdD0iaU1hdHJpeCBMaXZlQ2hhdCIgd2lkdGg9IjgwMHB4IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjIyNXB4IiBib3JkZXI9IjAiPjwvYT48L2Rpdj48L2NlbnRlcj4=