One of the toughest decisions you can make for your business is how and when to take on a website redesign. The expense and the time can be daunting. But, at some point, it will come time. Better to play for it then be caught off guard. The good news is we can help, but when? Let’s figure it out.

Average Website Life Expectancy

One of the most frequent questions we are asked when building a website is how long it will be before a website redesign become necessary. The short answer is three to five years from the last redesign. But, that is a generalization. For some, changes may need to happen within two-and-a-half to three years, while others may hold out for seven or eight.

Factors to Consider

• Technological changes – Is the code on your website up to modern standards? Does it reproduce well in all environments including mobile?
• Design changes – Does your website feel dated compared to other websites on the market?
• Your competition – When did they last do a website redesign?
• Your branding – Have you updated your logo or changed your collateral recently? Does the website reflect these changes?
• Company changes – Have you changed your product or service offerings? How has the website adapted?
• Your customer base – Are they likely to be swayed by changes to design or are they more interested in basic information and a no-frills approach?

It is possible that modest changes are enough, in which case a website upgrade might be in order. However, those kinds of changes may not be enough and a website redesign might be in order.

Get a Free Website Design Quote Now!

What to Look for on Other Websites

There are some reliable markers for gauging how modern a website is you can see just by looking around at other websites. No skill in code or technology necessary Trends in both how websites look and behave become apparent when you look around. When you see some commonalities in websites with the following, it’s a good indicator those common themes are popular

• Colors
• Text sizes and fonts
• Photography and Illustrations
• Layout of the text on the page
• Menus and Navigation

Here are a couple of examples of how things have changed in the last five years based on a couple of the above examples.

Colors

[col2 ]Five Years Ago

Blues/Grays
Muted color schemes
Monochromatic
Darker background colors

[/col2][col2 ]Today

Reds/Oranges
Vibrant color schemes
High contrast
White backgrounds

[/col2]

Text Sizes and Fonts

[col2 ]Five Years Ago

Traditional fonts
Smaller typfaces
Matched font sets
Smaller number of font choices
Left aligned or justified

[/col2][col2 ]Today

Non-traditional fonts
Larger typefaces
Varied font sets
Large number of font options
Left aligns or centered

[/col2]

When You Know for Sure

If your website doesn’t look good on mobile devices; if your competitor’s websites seem much better or more modern than your own; if your company has made changes to what it offers or to its branding; or if your customer base expects you to be ahead of the curve, it is likely time for a website redesign.

If you are unsure, we can help you sort it out. You may only need an upgrade, but if you do need a website redesign for your organization, we are here to make it happen. For more information, please call us at 888-424-6363 or get a free quote today!