5 Signs Your Website Needs Some TLC and How to Strengthen your Digital Appearance
Your website is often one of the first stops potential clients or customers will make when interacting with your business. Whether you run a startup, have an amazing product or have client facing services, having a polished and user-friendly website is key. But how do you know if your website is up to par?Is it time for a digital facelift? Are you even sharing your website because or are you hiding because you’re embarrassed by how outdated it is? Below, we’ll explore five common signs that your website needs some TLC and actionable steps to strengthen your digital presence.
0. (You can relate to Judge Judy)
Information is hard to find: If users (and maybe even you) are playing hide-and-seek with your website’s key info, it might be time for a digital facelift. Design hierarchy plays a big role here. It’s how elements are arranged to highlight what’s most important and guide your visitor’s attention where it needs to go. Structuring your website in a way where visitors can quickly and easily find what they’re looking for without getting lost. From the placement of headlines to the flow of content, everything should be organized to guide users naturally to key details like contact info, services and products. When designed well, your website should act like a GPS for your visitors, leading them smoothly to the information they need. When a website is designed right, navigation will feel effortless. If your site feels more like a maze, don’t be surprised if people take off before finding out what you offer.
Outdated design: Imagine you walk up to a store and you can barely see through the glass, dust covers every product and a light is flickering on and off in the distance. Clearly it’s not maintained. We’d move onto the store that looks inviting, tidy and welcoming. The same thing goes for your website. This is the front door of your business. If you’re using a design from a decade ago, your audience will smell the stale energy from a mile away.
Mismatched Branding: Not only should your website look like it is from this millennium, but it should align with your brand guidelines across all platforms – from the homepage imagery to the style of copy and color palette. As users navigate from your website to your social media and email campaigns, they need to feel like they're seamlessly moving through the same brand experience. If you don’t have brand guidelines yet, don’t worry - we have an article about that for you here.
Non-responsive: This is a fancy (or nerdy?) way of saying if your site isn’t easy to use on a phone or tablet, users will get frustrated and leave. The gorgeous copy and images you have are suddenly out of whack because the designer only created the site for one screen (rookie mistake.) Making sure your website adapts properly across all screen sizes will make sure your audience has a frictionless experience. Over half of web traffic today comes from mobile devices, so if your site doesn’t play nice with smartphones or tablets, prepare to have users in a flurry.
Lacks Clear Calls to Action: CTAs are your golden opportunity to guide users toward taking action – whether that’s reaching out, booking a service, or making a purchase. CTAs will vary depending on your business – some might say "Get Started," "Request a Quote," or "Schedule Your Free Consultation." Without some good old CTA’s, you risk losing your visitors’ attention and miss out on converting clicks into customers.
P.S. Fix those broken links!! If users click around your website and hit dead ends, they'll quickly lose faith in your site and move on to a competitor.
No matter where you are in your web design journey, Sunny Side Up Studios is your ultimate web design destination. Whether it’s breathing new life into an outdated design, making sure your site looks flawless on mobile or aligning your brand’s voice with your digital presence, we deliver an experience that will keep your visitors engaged and coming back for more. Ready for a digital makeover? Let's make your site one that even Judge Judy approves of.
Schedule a free consultation with us today: https://www.ssustudio.com/workwithus