The Benefits of an Updated Website Design

So you’ve finally done it. You’ve admitted to yourself that it’s time to create a website so people who want to give you money can find your business online.

Or maybe you already have a website, but it is not encouraging customers to call in or come in to your business. You have a feeling that this means you could use a website redesign.

Well, rest assured that your hunch is absolutely right and it’s time to get your website design in order!

In this article, you will learn why having the right website design can make all the difference in the success of your business or startup.

Why Is An Updated Web Design So Important?

Let’s start with the obvious reasons.

Imagine you are searching for a furniture store to outfit your new home.

You probably pull your smartphone out of your pocket and search Google like most people do these days.

In your research, you find two different furniture stores near you and decide to look at their websites.

The first website you run across looks REALLY good. Modern. Elegant.

It screams credibility and that it is a business you can trust.

The second website looks like it was created when AOL was still mailing out those CDs for internet access in 1996. It is clunky. Slow. And it is hard to see on your phone.

Which store would you prefer to do business with after those first impressions?

If you said the first store, you’re not alone. 75% of consumers admit that they have judged a company’s credibility based on its website design. 1

Okay, so you understand the importance of a good looking design for your business to look trustworthy.

But what else is important to know when it comes to web design?

Mobile Responsiveness MATTERS

So what is all this talk about a “responsive website design” anyway?

Responsive design means that your website will adjust based on the size of screen it is being viewed on.

You have probably seen websites that look exactly the same on your iPhone or Android as they do on a full browser on your computer. This typically results in having to do the pinch trick with your fingers to zoom in on your phone to see what is actually on the site.

On the other side of this equation, you have probably also seen websites that look amazing on your smartphone as if they were created just for that size of screen. And then lo and behold, you return to the site on your laptop later and it looks amazing there as well!

This is the importance of having a responsive site that optimizes for mobile devices.

In fact, 85% of adults believe that your business website should look as good if not better on a smartphone than it does on a computer! 2

Google knows this as well and in 2016 started giving “mobile-friendly” sites with responsive design a boost in their search rankings. 3

Why did Google do this? Three words.

Buyers Use Smartphones!

Just how much does having a responsive site that renders properly on a smart phone help you?

Well, put it this way. It could mean the difference between the sound of cash registers ringing in your business or the sound of crickets!

Simply put, BUYERS use their mobile devices to search for businesses.

A major marketing survey conducted in 2018 found that a large majority of smartphone users are using their devices to shop.4

To be precise:

“The survey consisted of responses from more than 1,000 smartphone owners in the US and was conducted between July 23 – 27, 2018. It found that 69 percent of smartphone owners use their devices to help them shop (other surveys have found larger numbers). Of that group 82 percent had done “near me” searches (92 percent for Millennials).”

But wait! It gets better:

“The survey also revealed that 60 percent of mobile users were “very likely” to click on the “first two to three search results they saw.” Overall more than 90 percent were “likely” to click on the first set of results.”

This proves two things.

First, smartphone users are searching for businesses like yours in your area.

And second, if you have a responsive website design that is optimized for mobile devices, then your chances of getting found on the first page of Google by those customers goes WAY up.

A Better Website Design EQUALS Better Rankings In Google

So we know that Google ranks sites with mobile friendly and responsive design more highly in their rankings.

BUT, did you know there are other ways a better website design helps you get higher search rankings as well?

There are two other big factors Google measures on your site that help your search rankings.

Time on page and bounce rate.

Time on page is the amount of time that somebody spends on your website once they click on it from Google before clicking over to somewhere else. Basically, this means that if a person spends two seconds on your site before immediately returning to Google….well your site didn’t do a very good job of keeping them there.

A couple of quotes to illustrate the effect that responsive web design has on a user’s time on page:

“A major factor indicating the quality of user experience is the time they spend on your site. If they find it hard to navigate or use because they’re forced to constantly pinch and zoom, they won’t stay on your website.” 5

“Studies show that if given 15 minutes, two-thirds of people would rather read something beautifully designed than plain.” 6

Responsive design keeps eyes on your website. Period.

Bounce Rate is the percentage of “one page” visits your site has. This means that if somebody comes to your site and does not like what they see enough to click through to other parts of your site, that it can hurt your rankings.

It goes hand in hand with time on page. Customers come to your site from Google. They look at what you have to offer. Then they click on other pages to find out more.

A responsive web design can greatly help improve the user experience and improve your bounce rate by encouraging visitors to click through to other parts of the site.

Google measures these two things and rewards you with higher rankings if they are good.

“So What Do I Do Now?”

Now that you know the “Why?” behind having the best website design, it’s time to answer the “What?” As in WHAT do you do next to get your site design or redesign rolling. Here’s a few steps to point you in the right direction:

1. Find a website design company.

The web design company you choose should be a REAL business. With a good looking, responsive, and mobile friendly website of their own. RBD is recognized as a top New York Web Design Company.

Avoid the temptation to call up a friend or family member who dabbles in web design to get free or cheap work. Many business owners has lived to regret this as it normally results in outdated websites with limited functionality.

Worse yet, if the site crashes or goes down you usually have no one to fix it for you on short notice. This means precious hours (or days!) your site could be down and not driving customers to your business.

It is your absolute best decision to choose a web development company that specializes in the exact thing that you want and can give you ongoing support if any problems arise.

2. Contact the website design company.

Most web development companies will have an email, a contact form, or a phone number you can use to reach out directly to them and explain what you are looking for.

If the staff is friendly and helpful and can explain things to you in a way that you can understand, you have got a winner on your hands. Hire them!

You’re ready. You have a solid understanding of responsive web design. You know what to look for to hire the right web design company.

All you have to do now is make the move. Your business and future customers will thank you for it!