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Okanagan Websites: 5 Reasons to Redesign Your Site Now!

In the old days (say five or 10 years ago), Okanagan websites were akin to business cards: static and basic. Since then, Kelowna marketing companies such as ours have been helping businesses and organizations see that websites can and should be so much more than that. They should be your star salesperson. Your trusty recruiter. Your friendly receptionist. Even your business analyst.

Today's websites are infinitely more than just your 'online presence.' In a way, they are your business because that's how people find you, judge you, and perhaps shop with you. So, if your business or organization has one of those Okanagan websites that was built more than five years ago and it's still only telling people (whom you hope will happen upon your site) your mailing address, here are five reasons to invest in a redesign:

When ½ of your visitors are using your website on their phone or tablet, it critical that your site looks good and works on mobile devices.

When ½ of your visitors are using your website on their phone or tablet, it critical that your site looks good and works on mobile devices.

1. Your Site Needs to Be Responsive

First, a quick introduction to responsive websites. With a responsive design, your website will adjust its appearance and navigation to suit the user's screen, any screen at all--a phone, a tablet, a 14" laptop, or a 20" desktop. Because of the shift in the devices people use in the last few years, website design has had to follow suit. Why does your website need to be responsive? It needs to be responsive because a lot of people do most of their online searches from devices other than desktop computers.

According to this Hubspot article 6 Undeniable Reasons Why Your Website Should be Responsive, more than half of local searches were performed on a mobile device, and 61 percent of people have a better opinion of brands when they offer a good mobile experience. Did you hear that? You could be impressing and selling to 50 percent more people if they can easily use your website on a mobile device! If your website doesn't look good or function well on mobile phones, a website redesign is an emergency procedure!

Feel the need for speed?  Your website visitors do!

Feel the need for speed? Your website visitors do!

2. Your Site Needs to Load Faster

If your website takes longer than four seconds to load, you'll lose half your visitors. Four seconds might not sound like long, but in the 'now' mentality of people who have even less patience when searching on their phones, it's just too long. They see a blank screen. They wait. One. Two. Three. Four. They're gone, and you've probably lost them forever. We've seen Okanagan websites that have been redesigned go from loading in 8+seconds to under 3 seconds, and experience more page views, longer time on site numbers, and more inquiries½. Differences that directly affect your bottom line!

Good website usability is like that person in your office that everyone likes--they're easy to get along with and brighten up your day.

Good website usability is like that person in your office that everyone likes--they're easy to get along with and brighten up your day.

3. Your Site Needs to be Easier to Navigate

Can customers easily find your phone number and your address? Can they find or download your food menu? Can they go back to the previous page's fall collection and land on the 84th sweater they were just looking at, rather than getting tossed back to the top? Can they place an order or fill out a contact form? If your website hasn't been built intuitively, that is, without thought for how people move through websites, again, another strike, another customer possibly lost forever.

Bad website usability is like trying to get along with your office grumpy-pants. Good website usability is like that person in your office that everyone likes--they're easy to get along with and brighten up your day.

4. Your Site Needs to Convert Visitors into Customers

After a site visitor views the brands of eyeglasses your shop carries, are they prompted to book an eye exam? Does your service business have a "quick quote" form to generate immediate sales opportunities? As a non-profit, do you ask site visitors to come in and learn more about volunteering, attend your upcoming fundraiser, or better yet, donate? Using what we refer to as the CTA or 'call to action,' your website should encourage people to take that next step.

It's your star sales guy, after all. And, with a redesign, you'll now have the analytics to measure your traffic and how people are using your site. A great question to ask yourself is, "Why the heck does this webpage exist on my site?" If you don't know, neither will your web visitor.

One study found 47% of people only look a pictures, and virtually ignore text½ would those people love your current website?

One study found 47% of people only look a pictures, and virtually ignore text½ would those people love your current website?

5. Your Site Needs to be Powerful Visually

The original websites tended to have a limited colour palette, bad photos and boring fonts. Today, we recognize that websites are a visual reflection of your brand--it should look and feel just like your store or the personality you imagine your brand has (professional and calm, perhaps, for a medical office; or rowdy and red for a play park). Good design speaks volumes. Trust.

Professionalism. Pride in good service. It's so much more than just looking good. You want people to land at your site and immediately think, Wow, this is cool. This is the site I was looking for. Now, why hire a Kelowna marketing company rather than just a website design company to handle your redesign? Check out our post Anatomy of a Marketing Agency.

Do you have one of those Okanagan websites approaching old age, or just not serving your business as a fantastic sales tool? We create the kind of website design Kelowna consumers love for all the reasons above.

Get in touch to learn more about how we can take your site and your business to new heights! 250-762-4001