Guest post by: Beth Williams
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Just how important is website design? Some research indicates that a whopping 81 percent of internet visitors would think less of your business if it is not up-to-date. Another 39 percent of visitors would hesitate to use your product or service if your website is not user-friendly and current.
 
Apart from ensuring you have a modern web design, it is ideal that your site is updated every three years. Updated sites can generate more visitors and can dramatically impact your click-thru and conversion rates. Undeniably, your online presence is crucial if you want to grow your brand and increase your bottom line.

Glaring Signs You Need to Change Your Website Design

Changing your web design is no easy feat. However, if your site is no longer showing year-over-year growth, then a redesign is overdue. Below are other glaring signs you need to redesign your website.

1. Your website takes forever to load.

One of the typical indicators you need a new design is when your site takes too long to load. With online competition now more fierce than ever, people have infinite options available at their disposal. Most people don't have the patience to wait for slow pages to load completely. They would rather find other sites to visit.
 
Some studies indicate that most visitors are only willing to wait for 1.0 second for a page to load. If loading time goes over 2.0 seconds, visitors are likely to bounce off from your page. It might not be common knowledge, but Google considers page load speed a crucial factor when ranking pages.
 
In other words, if your site is slow, you will likely rank lower in the search engine result pages (SERPs). Use Google's Page Speed Insights test to assess how your site is performing in terms of speed. Be sure you also try it on mobile devices and desktops so you can check if it loads quickly on different devices.
 
If you can't do a website redesign right away, the following are some of the temporary remedies you can look into:
 
●   Optimizing your images
●   Avoiding too many redirects
●   Optimizing your content and combining them into single scripts
●   Making your components cacheable

2. You have a high bounce rate. 

​Bounce rate is defined as the percentage of single-page visitors to your website. Simply put, it is the percentage of visitors who visit your site and only visit the page they land on. Rather than exploring your site, they leave right away. Some of the common reasons visitors leave your website right away include:
 
●      They did not find what they were looking for
●      They did not  find anything interesting
●      They find your site too difficult to navigate
●      They find your site too slow
 
A website redesign can dramatically improve your bounce rates and can help convince your visitors to stay around longer. If your bounce rate is 70 to 90 percent (throughout your site), consider content and copy updates. It is also a good idea to create a new website.

3. Your website no longer reflects your brand. 

Your products, brand, and messaging can evolve over time. That said, your website has to keep up. The first impression you provide visitors can mean the difference between earning another bounce or another customer. As a general rule of thumb, ensure you have a well-designed site that aligns with your message.
 
If you claim your brand is on the leading edge, but your website is obsolete, there is a significant disconnect. In similar instances, a website redesign is recommended.

4. Your website is not responsive or mobile-friendly.

Mobile website traffic now makes up more than half of the web visits around the globe. If your site is not compatible with mobile devices, you will be missing out on all those potential visitors. However, even if your site is mobile-friendly because it is responsive, it won't always suffice.
 
It is crucial to keep in mind that mobile-first websites load faster, and search engines now gauge the search results from mobiles and not desktops. If you are creating a website for the first time, consider a mobile-first web design since user engagement on mobile devices is expected to increase over time.

5. Your website looks dated. 

Old and obsolete sites are typically non-scrollable, have massive texts and one solid background color to boot. They're not only unsightly, they won't also do much for your conversions. Essentially, old websites often have too much text, no photos, no straightforward navigation, and old and stale content.
 
Nowadays, new websites tend to have minimal texts, large background images, and flat graphics. They are also often scrollable and include links to different pages throughout your site. To create a great first impression, your website should have:
Relevant content
 
For content to be relevant, it should be created with the target audience in mind. The value proposition should also be stated. It should clearly tell visitors and prospective customers what they stand to gain and what sets you apart from the competition.
Easy navigation
 
Visitors to your page should not have a hard time looking for your site's important pages. At all times, make sure visitors can navigate your site with ease. Ideally, you should have easy and straightforward navigation either along the sidebar or at the top of your site so you can quickly point visitors in the right direction.
Call-to-action
 
Your call-to-action tells visitors specifically what you want them to do so they can take immediate action on your site. Call-to-actions can vary from one brand or industry to another. Whatever your call-to-action may be, ensure you always test it, and you put thought into all aspects, including the placement, color, and text.
 
6. Your conversion rates are low. 

​Low conversion rates are one of the red flags of an under-performing website. There are various reasons for low conversions, and not all of them might merit a redesign. However, just like bounce rate, low conversion rates can be attributed to bad user experience.
 
If your conversion rate is exceptionally low, conduct a conversion analysis audit and set up Google goal tracking. Some of the things you should focus on include:
Behavior flow
 
You can find this in Google analytics. This will show you how people behave as they navigate through your site.
Landing pages
 
This is something you can also find in the behavior section of Google analytics. This will give you an insight into how well your landing pages are converting. At times, revamping your landing page can already do wonders.
Top exit pages
 
Top exit pages are the pages most visitors abandon. They are also the ones that should be given more attention during a redesign.

Wrap Up

If you notice any of the glaring signs mentioned above, website redesign should rank high in your list of priorities. If anything, ensure you don't overlook any of the warning signs. Otherwise, you won't be able to keep up with the competition. Also, if you have not done a redesign in 3 years or more, you are already overdue. 

There you have it - our guide to optimizing the visibility and effectiveness of contact info for your company's website. Want to make sure your site is the best it can be (or interested in seeing our own contact page)? Get started with Clairant today!

Guest Post by Derek Goodman from Inbizability.com

Small business owners face unique challenges when their companies grow beyond their original handful of members to a company with several employees. At this point, owners are faced with decisions about human resources, payroll systems, insurance, workplace safety, and other areas of federal compliance. Although growth, in many ways, represents success, it also poses challenges that can be expensive or labor-intensive. To help you navigate the landscape, Clairant Services shares the following guidance.

1. Human Resources
Human resources departments focus on finding great people to work for the company and
creating an organizational system that promotes strength within the company. To this end, there are a few requirements:

• Create and organize employee files including employment compliance, timecards, tax

          documents, medical info, benefits, performance evaluations, etc.

• Create and share employee handbooks with company policies and employee rights and

          responsibilities.

• Post state and federal rules, notices, and pertinent changes

It is vital that business owners designate an individual or a team to handle human resources.
Otherwise, the company could fall out of compliance with federal regulations, such as Equal
Employment Opportunity laws. Joining the local chamber of commerce is one way for small
business owners to learn more and stay on top of challenges associated with growth.
Experienced peers in the local community can be a wealth of knowledge and support.

2. Payroll Systems
A well-organized payroll system is another crucial factor in healthy growth. Paying your
employees on time with accurate paychecks boost productivity and reliability among employees.
It helps the company remain compliant with local and federal guidelines. The employees who
supervise payroll handle scheduling and time logs, complete invoices and paychecks, and a lot of other related tasks. With limited staff, small business owners could look for an automated payroll system with templates that streamline these processes. It is also worth noting that without a good payroll system, businesses could develop negative reputations among potential employees.

3. Marketing Solutions
A strong marketing strategy is critical for the growth and success of your business. This is how you tell the world about your venture and what you have to offer, and it’s how you engage with current customers and attract new ones. If you lack marketing savvy, it’s best to work with an agency like Clairant Services, which specializes in everything from fractional CMO services, brand guides, website design to social media management, email marketing,  blogs, videos and more. They can help you develop a strategy that boosts brand awareness and enhances your online presence.

As you let your agency take the lead in implementing your marketing efforts, there are some
DIY options you can use to supplement their work. This can be in the form of handcrafted social media posts or a captivating banner that works for your website and your preferred social media platforms. Apps like Adobe Spark can make this a fun exercise with professional-grade results your marketing pro would be proud of. This app offers an online banner maker with templates you can customize as well as design features like images, graphics and a variety of fonts. Just be sure what you create lines up with the elements your agency is using in your campaign.

4. Insurance and Benefits
With fewer than 50 employees, businesses are not required to offer health insurance. However, some small business owners choose to provide insurance and other types of benefits to attract talented employees. Additional benefits beyond insurance include paid sick time, paid time off, paid holidays and retirement plans. Note, there are some distinctions that affect which
employees are eligible for benefits:

● Number of work hours daily and weekly
● Location of physical business and employees
● Length of employment with the company
● Job titles and description

There are several classifications that cannot be used to decide whether employees get
insurance and other benefits. These include color, race, religion, gender, health, age, and
disability. As small businesses approach the legal need to provide insurance, owners can reach out to the government for more information.

5. Workplace Safety
Regardless of the type of business, workplaces must be in compliance with regulations
established by the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. As small business
owners move into this territory, they must start by making employees aware of potential
dangers. According to risk assessment professionals, this begins with discussing the risks of
falls, being struck by something, electrocution, and getting stuck between multiple objects.
OSHA provides information and guides specifically for small business owners. Another good
source of information is the insurance company that provides commercial coverage against
accidents, damages, and other financial losses.

Small businesses are affected by many unique challenges as they grow, but understanding how to tackle those changes can set the stage for future success and expansion. With solid HR, payroll, marketing, insurance, and workplace safety systems in place, small business owners set the stage for a strong future.