In the online world, your website may very well be the one thing that sets you apart from the competition. It is literally the face of your company and acts as the initial “touch point” for potential customers who have never met you or been to your store before. First impressions are everything, and you must be conscious of what impressions your website is portraying about your company.

Your website showcases who you are, what you do, and the value your products or services can provide to customers. An effective website can generate more leads than your sales team could ever dream of attracting.

While many companies have a website and an online presence, many times their websites are outdated and aren’t effective in communicating with their prospects. If your website is outdated, it’s safe to assume that you are losing customers, based on their initial impression. If your website looks old and outdated, then your customers will automatically infer that your service or product will also be outdated or ineffective.

In this article, we will look at 5 potential signals that you must watch for to determine if it’s time to get your website upgraded or redesigned, ensuring that you continue to attract the leads you deserve.

It’s 2018, folks.

This means that the majority of your potential customers are used to and even expect your website to be optimized for mobile use.

There’s nothing more annoying when you are making a mobile search than when you have to “pinch and squeeze” your mobile screen because the website you’re trying to load isn’t responsive.

If your website has a confusing navigation structure or makes it difficult, at first glance, for the customer to understand what you are all about, you’ve likely created a very poor first impression and user experience. It’s unlikely that they will bother revisiting your website or referring you to a friend.

The majority of these mobile users will exit your website if you’re not optimized and mobile responsive. If you want to attract a larger web audience, you must make sure that your website is prepared to capture and convert mobile users; After all, they comprise over 50% of web users.

The digital landscape is constantly changing, and the same holds true for web design – It’s an evolution of design. Designs that were considered appealing 15 years ago are now hopelessly outdated and provide poor functionality in the modern world. This doesn’t mean that you need to “jump on the bandwagon” of every design trend, but it does mean that you should have a solid understanding of modern web design, to ensure your website provides modern appeal, functionality, and user experience.

But if your website hasn’t been redesigned in the last 3-4 years, you’re likely due for an upgrade. You should probably consider updating your digital presence before your web presence frustrates users and costs your company potential leads and customers.

Many business owners are out of touch with their online presence and believe that their website functions adequately, when in reality, they are losing customers due to the relic appeal and functionality of their website.

After you have been running your company for a couple years, it’s easy to stray from your business model or brand identity as you refine your approach to new clientele.

Your brand image and personality may have evolved over the past years and these changes may not be apparent on your website or through your digital presence. You’ll want to make sure that your web design communicates your brand image and personality. Are you pursuing a fun, vibrant brand image, or a serious, professional image? Colors? Fonts? Layout? All of these and more combine to present your desired image.

Your brand image and personality communicate important information about what your company is about, your company culture, and your tone of professionalism. Your website should align with this brand message to create one cohesive branding strategy.

Over time, as your company grows, your business goals may shift to reflect the growth. It’s important to ensure that your website reflects and adapts to these changes.

For instance, a few years ago your business may have been trying to use your website to drive more leads and get inquiries through online contact forms. However, now your website may primarily serve the purpose of communicating your brand message, helping you gain expert authority in your field. It’s difficult to achieve new goals if your website isn’t designed to reflect the goals and strategies of your growing brand.

If your business strategy has changed considerably over the past few years, it’s only normal to ensure your website is up-to-date and aligned with your business goals. This might call for some minor adjustments or perhaps even a complete website overhaul.

Depending on your business field, the goal of your website might be to help generate leads, sales, or provide information to potential customers. If you have active marketing strategies in place, but you find that your website isn’t performing as well as it once was, this may be a sign that your website isn’t connecting very well with your audience.

A poor conversion rate is one of the clearest signs that your website is in deep need of a website redesign. It indicates that your users are “dropping off” at some point in your conversion funnel. This could be due to many reasons, including confusing navigation, unclear communication, or poor user experience (UX) design, among others.

You’ll want to pinpoint the culprit of your poor conversion rate before you undertake a full website redesign, otherwise, you could end up creating a refreshed website with the same issues.

A modern, functional website that effectively communicates your brand message is key to the success of any company. It’s important that business owners take the steps necessary to ensure that their website provides good user experience, effective communication, and cross-platform functionality, helping them to meet business goals and present a cohesive digital image and strategy.