Is it time for a website redesign?  If your small business website is struggling to breathe, check out these seven clues it’s time for a website redesign.  A website redesign may be just what the doctor ordered to improve graphics, content, sales and search engine rank.

Over time, small business websites start to show their age. To stay on top of your game, you need to take an active role in reviewing your website’s graphics, content and technology on a regular basis. So, is it time for a website redesign? The following seven clues are strong indicators your small business website is in need of a serious website redesign.

1. If your small business website is badly outdated, it’s time for a website redesign.

Above all else, if your small business website hasn’t seen a good scrubbing in years, you need a website redesign. Websites need periodic updates to remain relevant. So if you haven’t updated your site with new product images, service information, graphics, photos and other content in the last few years, you need to redesign your website.

2. If your small business website is winded trying to keep up with competitors, you need a website redesign.

Just because you aren’t web savvy, certainly does not mean your customers aren’t. It is mission-critical your website provides relevant content that is continuously updated and differentiates you from the competition. Take a look around at the content, graphics and branding of your competitors’ websites. Is your site at the top of the heap? If your small business website doesn’t stand out and brand your business, it’s time for a website redesign.

3. Does your website provide a unified brand image that presents your business as the solution? If not, it’s time for a website redesign.

For many small business owners, your website will create the first impression customers have of your business. It’s crucial you present a strong visual image for customers to connect with. Play into the emotional needs, dreams and goals of your audience. An amateur small business website or template site is a sure way to crater your image. If your website needs a brand image overhaul, you need to redesign your website.

4. Are you using a website template? If so, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, you need a website redesign.

Sure, free and cheap website templates can save you money on the front end, but it’s going to cost your dearly on the back end. Small business websites using FrontPage, Publisher or clipart graphics need to be redesigned. The above technologies will seriously damage your credibility and professionalism. Step up and run with the big dogs! Web design advancements have leapt past these templates and made them virtually obsolete. If you’re still using a starter website or free website template, it is definitely time for a website redesign.

5. Is your small business website able to grow with your business? If your site is constricting your online presence, it’s time for a website redesign.

Is your website one big colossal headache every time you need to add new content? If you have to redesign large parts of your website to accommodate minor website updates, you need a website redesign. New technologies are making it easier than ever for small business owners to take control of managing their websites with little technical experience. Ask your web designer about using a Content Management System, such as WordPress when redesigning your website.

6. If your website’s content has more wrinkles than your great-grandmother, it’s time for a website redesign.

No one likes to read the latest news, only to realize they’ve been duped. If your website content is badly outdated, and it no longer holds relevance, your customers aren’t going to want to read it. And search engines won’t like it either! If the majority of your small business website content is outdated, it’s a strong indication you need to bite the bullet in favour of a website redesign.

7. Is your small business website built like a catacomb? If yes, it’s time for a website redesign.

We all hate the moment when we realize, “I’m lost… I haven’t a clue where the hell I am!” The same holds true when it comes to your website. If customers can’t find what they’re looking for, quickly and easily, you need a website redesign. Unlike the offline world, if a potential customer leaves your website because they got lost… they’ll leave with their wallet and never come back.

Want us to do the hard work instead? Contact Us for a free no-obligation quote!

The post Seven Signs you need a New Website first appeared on Boldr Digital.

Let’s discover some outdated trends and practices that don’t work well anymore and what you can do about them.

1. Cliche Stock Images

The cheesy and all-smiley photos work for some industries but mostly they seem forced. You can choose to have them in different sections but filling your website’s homepage or service pages with them in a quest to make it more graphic doesn’t help.

There is nothing bad about using fancy stock images as many clients don’t have the kind of budget to get a personalized photoshoot done. However, they shouldn’t be so obvious and at least be handpicked (not from the overused free image sites).

2. Sliders with needless call-to-action

As per various surveys, sliders sliding with meaningless call-to-action buttons distract them from the real task they are there for. Apart from many times slowing down the loading speed of the website, they also slow down users in trying to navigate and reach other parts of the website. While initially built by designers to utilize space and display multiple promotional offers, now they are widely being used to display flashy images that simply take away from the purpose of the website.

3. AutoPlay

Videos and audio are found and put to great use by various websites, however, their play and pause operations should be in the control of the user. The auto-play videos especially with audio add a lot of noise to an already off stance that comes from being taken aback by so much media being thrown at you. Many advertisements and campaigns begin immediately as you roll onto the website and gives the user little to no control over when they finish or start. Needless to say, that needs to stop.

4. Flash

It’s so obvious that Flash is almost as outdated as the gramophone (joke) but this makes it to the list because many web pages are still using them. Even after Adobe and various browsers have announced officially that they will be cutting support for Flash, various websites continue to use it. The player was removed for not one good reason but many including security and usability concerns. However, if you still want to use it, know that your users or website audience will only see a displayed image over the flash section saying Adobe Flash Player is blocked or not supported.

5. Huge Images

By saying huge or large images, we mean images that take up large parts of your homepage. It can be a single image or a series of images with an action button. They might be seemingly very cool from the design perspective but users feel differently about them. Although now even clients ask for the section of images to be kept smaller, it also came as feedback from many users that these images tend to push the content further down, taking away from the real purpose and utility of the webpage. Hence, keep the call to action straight in front and easily visible with normally sized pictures.

6. Annoying Pop-Ups

We have all been there, dodging multiple pop-up menus or buttons that appear out of nowhere as you visit a website. The problem is not just them being too early or too many at once, it’s the very nature of the pop-up that doesn’t give the user any choice but to read or look at the pop-up. To add to that, they sometimes lead to their Facebook messenger or chatbot that bombards you with messages or asks you to comply and make a choice to a promotional offer that was already there on the website, sigh!

7. Same Tab Links

Various websites add links for promotional, navigational and other purposes which do work well but the issue is when these links open in the same tab taking your user away from your page and replacing it with another. This is not only distracting but actually needs to a drop in the conversion rates. Keep this in mind the next time you add a link to your site.

Thinking of a new Website? Contact Us for a free no-obligation quote!

The post Outdated Web Design Trends And Practices That Scare Your Customers Away first appeared on Boldr Digital.

1) A Call to Action

Your website visitors are on your website for a reason. Your website is a marketing tool to get website users to request more information, purchase a product, download an app, or schedule a booking (or the 100s of other variations that allow you to profit in your business).

You need to present a clear call to action, so your website visitors don’t leave your website and take their business to one of your competitors.

2) Responsive Design

Depending on your business, more than half of your website visitors could be coming from either mobile or tablet devices. You need to provide a good user experience for those users. There are quite a few technical parts to understand in how to create a responsive design. The basic idea is that you are formatting your website depending on the user’s browser/system and how the user contracts or expands your website.

3) Clear Contact Information

Even today, there are many websites that make it challenging to easily contact the business. Some of the largest businesses in the world actually do make it challenging for a user to contact them as a way to reduce customer support costs. Unless your business has a monopoly, I would strongly suggest making some form of contact with your business easy. There are many different methods of contact such as email, web form, or live chat. So, there should be some way for a potential client or customer to contact your business 24/7.

4) A Secure Host and Website

You should make sure that your host is at a secure data centre with some options for backups of your website. You should also keep a local backup of your website as well. 

One of the dangers of DIY website development or letting an amateur develop your website is that many security flaws can unintentionally be added to your website. We at Boldr Digital have many years of web development and web security experience; if you have a currently operating website, we can test your website and fix any issues as a paid security consultant (contact us on our Contact Page for more information). Or, if you would like us to build a new website, we can make sure your website is not vulnerable to potentially devastating attacks such as SQL injection attacks.

5) Social Media Links

Social media is an excellent way to bring targeted users to your website. Through social media, one person liking your website could bring in hundreds or even thousands of new users if an item goes viral. Allowing your clients or customers to share the content of your website to their network through social media links is very important. Adding opportunities to like and share through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube and LinkedIn can be a great way to rapidly grow your business.

Want us to do the hard work instead? Contact Us for a free no-obligation quote!

The post Five must-have features on your website first appeared on Boldr Digital.