How Do I Know When I Need To Redesign My Site?

Anyone who has a website has asked themselves this question before, whether your site is eight years old or two. When is it time for an overhaul of my site? Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer because it depends on the age of your site, what industry you’re in, and what your patients need or expect from you.

There are some specific things about your site you can examine to help you decide when it’s time for a website overhaul. In some cases, it won’t matter if your site is old if it’s still meeting the needs of your patients. In other cases, even a new site could be missing opportunities to convert visitors into patients.

Design Considerations

An excellent place to start when trying to decide if it’s time for a website redesign is from a practical design standpoint. In many ways, your site is your brand's ambassador online; it’s the first impression many will see, so it needs to look modern and updated. More importantly, it needs to reflect your business in the right way. Does it reflect the quality you offer?

It’s essential that your site looks good, but it also needs to be functional, making it easy for users to find exactly what they’re looking for in as few clicks as possible.

Even if your site is newer, it’s worth looking at functionality again. If users experience any resistance from your site when they’re looking for something, they will leave.

So, think about first impressions regarding how your site looks but also think about how a user will navigate to any given part of your site. If it isn’t obvious, you could be missing out on conversions.

Mobile Site

Something else that you must consider when it comes to the design of your site is mobile compatibility. It is very likely that mobile devices account for the majority of your traffic. Google has recently stated that they are switching to mobile-first indexing. This means that they are going to start crawling mobile sites as the primary version of your website. So, if your mobile site isn’t up to par, it may hurt your rankings.

Nearly all web design companies make their sites responsive, so they can seamlessly switch between desktop and mobile. Just having a mobile site isn’t always enough. It also needs to be as functional and have the same features as your desktop site. If it doesn’t, you might be missing out on conversions.

Branding

Something that might seem self-explanatory, but is important nonetheless, is branding. In our digital age, there are probably dozens of websites and listings that display your business information. Something to consider for each one is brand consistency. You want a user to know they are on a page about your business without any effort.

Other considerations:

• HTTPS: Most web browsers are making a push for HTTPS which helps to ensure an increased level of security when on your website. If your site isn’t already on HTTPS talk to your web developer to move you over to avoid warning messages from browsers like Chrome.
• Ease of updating: Look for a CMS (content management system) or web development company that allows you to make edits quickly or on your own. It shouldn’t take a long time to make simple changes to your site, and it’s even better if you can do them yourself.
• Driving demand with CTAs: At the end of the day, the purpose of your site is to get new patients. In order to do that you need to have calls-to-action on your site. You need to drive users to a contact page when you can to push them towards a buying decision.

Think About the Future

Though website designs are always changing and improving, it doesn’t mean you need to redesign your site every year. However, when you’re considering a site redesign, keep the future in mind. If you focus on new trends that are shaping web design, it can help to build a site that will work for you, even with constant changes to best practices.

See What A Redesigned Site Can Do For You!

Subscribe to our blog for updates on the latest marketing tips, Google algorithmic changes, and more — just for dentists.