A mistake a lot of businesses make is that they see a website as one big project and say “Ok we have one! That’s done, whats next?” However, it should be noted that just having a site does not mean it will be stable, maintained, and stylish forever. Which means that you should have it reworked every few years so then you can adapt to the design trends of the future and keep up with modern security standards. In fact, we redesigned our website around four times. This is what the original GearSite website looked like:
But this is to be expected for an internet marketing company that does web design and development. How often should a regular business (not a web design company) update their site? If you want a quick answer, I would personally say update your site layout and function every 2-3 years. There are so many businesses out there that have websites that have not been updated in five, six, even ten years! This bothers me. It ruins the buying experience for many customers who would like to contact this business through their website, resulting in a high bounce rate. These high bounce rates are particularly present in mobile users because these sites aren’t usually new enough to be mobile friendly. A website that lacks a responsive design would definitely need a redesign to even be remotely up to today’s standards.
Lack of maintenance from web designers kills websites:
There is a point where technology on the server side, which is likely maintained by a system administrator or a team of system administrators, out paces the technology on the website. This causes the code on the site to become deprecated and eventually obsolete. This happens due to the continuous advancement of technology. If you wait long enough, the site will likely fall apart all-together depending on the technology that it’s built upon. A good way to tell if your website has gone stagnant is if it has broken forms, images not showing up, lack of responsive/mobile friendly design, functionality breaking. A stagnant site also increases the risk of viruses.
Proper website function should be tested frequently by your web designer. It should always be noted that websites are never a one-time deal and they should always be maintained. It is also recommended that you have the site backed up by your web host frequently. By doing that, it is possible to revert back to the backup should something happen that results in a site-wide failure.
Good maintenance should keep your site from needing a redesign
Like vehicles and homes, proper maintenance now can reduce the cost later. The lack of maintenance on a website and/or a cultural shift in design are what eventually leads to the requirement for a complete redesign. For example, if your website was built with flash, it is important that you contact a web design agency. Sites built with flash do not work on mobile and are very unappealing to potential customers. Making a site mobile friendly would also require a redesign. However, if you keep in touch with your web designer or agency and request updates when necessary, a full on redesign should almost never be necessary.
Why web design is important
We live in a digital age and a consumer’s trust is critical to lead generation on a website. That’s why a modern and functional design that has a good user experience is critical to online success. You don’t want the business of your customers to be turned away to a competitor because they represented their company better than you did. An appealing design coupled with excellent SEO creates a nearly unstoppable online presence that actively works to present your business in the best possible light.
In short, you would want your website to be reworked every two to three years. You could reduce the expense by having your web designer or web design agency do maintenance involves modernization over the months. This should help with the price when it comes to a major overhaul which your site will likely need down the road.
