If you’re one of the thousands of businesses out there that will redesign its website this year, you’ve probably got the same nagging thoughts in the back of your head.
This had better work…
It might be a twinge as you write a five-figure check to your web design agency.
Our new website should bring in more revenue…
It might be a pit in your stomach when you look at traffic numbers or conversion data.
The leads better start rolling in.
Heck, it might hit you when you’re tossing or turning at night.
A new website is a huge investment — in both time and money. You want to be sure that the investment is going to pay off.
And here’s the sad truth of it all: Most small businesses that buy a new website this year don’t really need it.
They’ve been sold a “miracle cure” that’s not actually going to solve the problem they’re facing.
Of course there are times when a new website is needed — when it’s a really sound investment in the future of your small business. And that’s what this article is going to do. To help you know when you do need a new website, and when you don’t, and what you should do instead.
Here, you will understand:
Before you spend big, let’s look at some hard truths together.
Agencies are eager to sell you a fancy new website with all of the bells and whistles. Their job is to sell websites, and you’ve got money to spend. They’ll take your money and build you a website, whether you need it or not.
And they make money because businesses think a new website will solve all their problems.
When a business leader sees their traffic or their leads fall off, they think a new website will solve those problems.
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While a new website is not necessarily a bad investment, it can be an expensive gamble. Websites often come in over budget and behind schedule — and they don’t always deliver a clear ROI.
Say you spend ~$15K on a new site that takes 6 months to launch. How can you be sure that it will be worth the investment?
If you're not connecting that website to a strategy, you can't.
You think you need a new website because you need more leads and more revenue, but how will the new website actually achieve this?
Or, put it this way: What’s going to make prospects find your shiny new website?
In any case, you need a strategy for how you (and your customers) will use this new website — you need a solid website strategy the aligns to your overall business goals
Despite what you’ve been told, most website issues can be solved without a full redesign.
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If you’re facing one of these challenges, don’t spring for a new website just yet.
If what you’re facing is an aesthetic challenge, you could opt to update the styles of the current website instead of doing a full website redesign. You’ll pay about 80% less and can potentially be done in weeks instead of months.
‘We’ve just launched a new product’
Good for you. That’s exciting. Do you need a whole new website to support this launch? Almost certainly not.
If you need help, an agency can build new pages without designing and developing a whole new site.
I get it. It’s stressful when your lead pipeline shrinks, but unless you’re addressing your underlying marketing strategy, a new website is unlikely to solve the problem in and of itself.
Now let’s look at the other side of things. When is the right time to redesign your site?
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Having worked with hundreds of businesses over the years, I believe there are only two situations when you absolutely need to update your site.
This is the biggest one. If you struggle to update the content on your site because it’s built on a challenging template, or there’s no Content Management System (CMS) or it just always seems to be a hassle to get something simple changed, you may want to redesign the site. Consistent, quality content boosts your website on search engines and gives users reasons to return time and again.
The other back end website consideration is integration. From a sales and marketing perspective, it’s important to integrate your marketing technology and analytics with your website. Disconnected technology limits your ability to effectively identify and target users from a sales perspective. If it’s all working in a single coherent system, you’ll close more deals and land more customers.
This has nothing to do with graphics or user experience. Nothing to do with stock images or page layout. Instead, we’re talking about Core Web Vitals, such as site speed, mobile responsiveness, and page scripts.
If your site doesn’t meet the modern standards established by the search engines, it’ll be hard to rank well in them, and it’s time for a new site.
If your website is unable to deliver in these fundamental ways, new images and designs won’t save it. Your indexed pages will continually slip in search rankings, and your traffic will dwindle.
You need a site that meets up-to-date thresholds for performance.
Before you invest in a new site, consider your strategy
Optimizing your existing site should be your priority before considering a new website. Here are essential steps to take:
If you follow all of those best practices, you will almost certainly notice improvements in your website’s performance. And if you do need a new website, you’ll be armed with the knowledge you’ll need to make it as effective as possible.
A website is a big purchase — and the process is both exciting and stressful. If you think you’re in the market for a redesign for your custom site, do your research. Don’t just talk to agencies that are jumping to sell you the thing you’re still deciding if you need.
We work with businesses every day who come to us after dropping a ton of budget into a new website. Instead of being the salvation they were hoping for, the website fails to deliver results. Their numbers stay flat, and they’re left scratching their heads as to why it didn’t work.
An outdated website is a liability that makes your business look bad. And if you're not sure what you need, start with our free website performance assessment. You'll get the insights you've been looking for.
