Is it mandatory to redesign your website in the year 2017?

written by Anna Jhonson on April 27, 2017

Web design is something which needs to be changed from time to time because it gets boring after a while so its good to modify it by making little changes. This is the primary reason, why several products get a makeover or a redesign after some time. From automobiles to mobile phones and web sites everything requires a redesign to remain appealing in the marketplace so that the product can attract a good amount of customers.

In the past few years, the web industry has undergone some major changes, especially in the designing sector. Nowadays, web owners lookout for eye-catching designs which can quickly attract a good amount of online visitors. Moreover, people are also shifting from desktop sites to mobile-friendly portals as it enables them to access content anytime & anywhere. Several mobile sites have now been replaced by apps.

To stay ahead of the market competition, the web-based business firms have to cater the ever-changing tastes of users, search engines sites and growing standards of technology. All these aspects pose the biggest challenge for the entrepreneurs especially who own the startups. As a site owner, one of the biggest difficulty is when to go for the redesigning process of the portal. Everyone has its own perspective on this situation. If you wish to increase the bounce rate of your site then redesigning will be the best solution.

So when you should rebuild your site? You should go for the revamping process when the time is right. But the issue is how does one know when the time is right? Is there any way to look at? Yes, it is.

Crucial Factors to Consider for the Website Redesign

A good rule of thumb is that when your portal is incapable of meeting the objectives set by you, the technology which you are using to power your site is outdated or you have something new to offer that’s the time to go for a redesign. Each and every aspect of your site entirely depends on the business goals, economic considerations and objectives.

• You are about to launch a new product in the market.
• You want to incorporate new colour standards.
• The bounce rates are high, it means visitors are coming in but not converting into sales.
• Your website looks outdated due to new technologies.
• Your customers have started to complain that your website looks plain boring.
• Should you go for small tweaks or a complete revamp

Theoretically, two years is considered as the suitable time to redesign the site. You can expand it to 3 years as well but not more than that. Most of the users look at sites as a one-time expense, and once you are done building, it is good for while but after some time it needs to be altered. The reality is that web redesign is a continuous process and it will be good if you keep adding/removing certain elements so that everytime someone visit’s your site they get something fresh to see & browse-through. Furthermore, there are several elements which need to be updated on a regular basis.

The best way to initiate the redesigning process is by making small tweaks on daily basis and after some time go for a complete overhaul with the help of experts.

Is it okay to do a beta testing before finalising the design?

The only problem with the redesign is that you cannot foresee its effects on your targeted consumers. There have been many cases where the revamping has backfired and the site owner has to face huge losses. Let’s have a look at one of the example.

Nike, the world famous sports goods manufacturer, has a fitness app in the form of Nike Running. The company decided to give it a makeover by redesigning it from the core. They even rebranded it and gave it a new name Nike Run Club. However, when they launched the app, Nike faced lots of criticism from the audience as they were not able to understand the new navigation of the app. It was all too clumsy and confusing.

That’s why it’s recommended to do a beta testing releasing the final version of the web design. By doing so, you will have an overview about the reaction of the audience to the new design. It will be good if you provide them with a tutorial.

A web design is never perfect and you have to keep tweaking it. There are several modifications which you can make to the portal as per the feedback. World’s most visited site Google has gone through several big & small tweaks over the years but they have kept their original design intact.

Summing Up

Redesigning has become an important part of web development life cycle and it will be good if you hire professionals for this process. You cannot just create a site and forget about it. With technology growing at a rapid pace it’s important to keep your site up to date.