HOW OFTEN SHOULD I REDESIGN MY WEBSITE ?

Technology is endless; it keeps changing. And to catch-up with the latest technology and trends, it becomes necessary for us to redesign our website frequently. With time, the design of our website may become outdated, resulting in low traffic and a high bounce rate. Then, how often should we redesign our website? Generally, most web designers recommend that you redesign your website every 2 to 3 years. Do not take it as a hard and fast rule, though. As technology generally takes a good leap every 2-3 years on average, a website that had an enticing and trendy design three years ago generally looks aesthetically unpleasant and out-of-date today.

If we look at some popular websites like Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon, we find that they keep on changing their designs frequently as per the latest trends in web design. They often redesign their websites to make something more attractive for visitors to look at. However, there are multiple factors that can hint at the fact that it's time to redesign our websites:

• Responsive design:

  Today, mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have become the most common gadgets for browsing the internet. So, the majority of the web traffic comes from mobile devices like these rather than desktops. Is your website mobile-friendly or not? If not, I am sure that it is frustrating most of your visitors with multiple zooming, scrolling, and resizing. This can be the major reason that your website has a high bounce rate and a low conversion rate. So, it’s crucial that you redesign your website into a responsive one right away.

• Your website looks old and unattractive:

  You may have designed your website to look very beautiful, modern and attractive, but believe me, a time will come when it will eventually look outdated and unappealing. The trends in web design keep changing continuously. So, it’s important that you redesign your website as per the recent design trends. We all get enticed towards things that are beautiful, attractive, and look modern, don’t we? No one likes to waste their time on old and unattractive sites with obsolete designs. They look quite unprofessional and are likely unable to convince visitors to spend their time and money.

• Poor UI and UX design:

  User Interface (UI) refers to elements like typography, buttons, icons, colors, menu bars, and so on that help to improve the appearance and functionality of an interface. Whereas, User Experience (UX) is about how a user feels while navigating throughout your site. Does your website have a simple design and flow with attractively designed elements? Does it allow users to access all the information, products, and services very easily and smoothly? A website must have a user-centered design such that every user is enticed and enjoys easy and smooth interaction with your website. If it’s not so, it’s time to redesign your website.

• Your site’s speed:

  How quickly does your website load? A study shows that the majority of visitors do not wait more than 3 seconds for a website to load. So, the loading speed of your site directly affects the user experience, increasing the bounce rate if it is slow. Moreover, for search rankings, Google doesn’t prioritize sites that are unable to load under 3 seconds. A large volume of unoptimized design elements is one of the major reasons for making a website load slowly. Also, an old website is likely to load slower than a newly designed one.

• Your competitors’ site:

  Do your competitors have better looking sites? Are their sites more visually appealing than yours? If so, you'd better redesign your website to make it more tempting than theirs. Beautiful appearance attracts all of us, and if your site is comparatively not prettier than others, there is a high chance that potential visitors to your site are spending more time on your competitors' sites than on yours.

• Your website isn’t making good business:

  Design is the first thing that visitors see on your website. It creates the first impression for the visitors. If it’s not appealing, there are more chances that visitors will not spend more time on your site, ultimately increasing the bounce rate. This can be the reason that your website is not making a good business, even if it has a good search ranking and good traffic. So, redesigning your website should be your first priority if it is not making good business.

Therefore, all things considered, frequently redesigning your website is of great value. Who knows, maybe the existing design of your website is a major factor that has been making it difficult for you to achieve your goals and objectives.

-Rajesh Bastola