How many times have you gone to your local grocery store to pick up a loaf of bread, only to find that the aisle you’ve grown accustomed to perusing is suddenly lacking in your favorite carb? So, then you have to walk around the store until you’ve found the most beautiful aisle in the store once again.

That’s not by accident.

Stores routinely rearrange their products in a move to sell more merchandise. It’s called a reset, and grocery stores — really all retailers — know that by moving products around, it will cause customers to possibly purchase additional items.
But what if you shun the brick-and-mortar for online purchases? Websites, like their real-world counterparts, need to do a reset (or redesign) every so often to keep visitors engaged.

Although there’s no source for the advice on updating a business site, the agreed upon timeframe is every two to three years. But even that may be pushing it too far.

Due to the constant changing landscape of the internet and search engine algorithms, it’s best to keep a website current to land those top result slots. That doesn’t always mean a redesign. It could be as simple as updating your site’s content with images and, for example, an informative blog post (like this one).

According to insight provided by business2community.com, a site dedicated to connecting businesses with the broader populace, the time between website resets should be closer to 1.5 to 2.5 years, which should depend entirely on your business goals and what your target audience is looking for.

Keep in mind, when updating your site a few different factors:

• • Visitor needs: Why do your customers come to your site? Make sure that information is easily found, and that your site is navigable for a new visitor who might not know where to look for the products, services or answers you’re providing.

• • Scalability: Although it’s difficult to predict tech trends or platforms, make sure that your website is responsive and works on as many different devices (if not all) as possible. Sure, it looks and works great in a desktop/laptop browser, but how does it look and work on a phone, tablet or smart TV?

• • Design: Is your site current? Styles and tastes change all the time, and a website should reflect the tastes of its consumers. Just because you like it doesn’t mean it will resonate with your customers. Research current design trends to stay on top of what’s fresh and popular or hire an experienced designer (like us!) to keep things current and forward-thinking.

• • Be social: In your redesign, consider providing links to the social media sites that your business is actively engaged in. The links should be easily found on every page, allowing visitors to find and interact with you there. Think about adding social sections where, for instance, your Instagram image grid is highlighted on your Home page. Along those lines, make sure to utilize the social media sites that your customers are more likely to use. And if you think that your customers don’t use social media, just remember that, according to recent statistics, Facebook had nearly 2.8 billion users at the end of 2020. That can often be the first place customers find you.

Is there a way to keep a site evergreen with minimal redesigning just to lessen the workload? Perhaps. Keeping the design simple can reflect a brand and require less upkeep.

Working to stay ahead of customer needs by keeping up your web presence can be time-consuming initially, but the hard work and effort can pay off, especially if it keeps your patrons returning, generating leads, answering frequent customer questions and referring others to your business.

Ready to redesign your website? Contact us today to get started!