5 Signs Your Website Needs a Redesign

Apr 29

I suspect if you landed on this blog post, you already know (or have a pretty strong feeling) your website is not doing what it should.

Maybe it feels outdated, messy, or you avoid sending people there unless they have to. When business is busy, updating your website often gets pushed to the bottom of the list.

Which makes sense because in entrepreneurship, there is always something else competing for your attention. But if your website is meant to generate leads, build trust, and support sales, it deserves a closer look.

If you have been wondering whether it is time for a website redesign, here are five signs to watch for.

How To Know If Your Website Needs a Redesign

Sign #1: You Cringe When Someone Asks for Your Website URL

Picture this: You’re at a networking event, and someone you’re talking to asks for your website.

Instead of confidently sharing it, you say something like, “Oh, it’s really old,” or “I’m actually redoing it right now” (but you have been saying that for a year. Maybe longer).

Those excuses and that pit in your stomach is telling you something.

Usually, it means your website no longer reflects who you are, the quality of your work, or the level your business has reached.

Your website should feel like something you are proud to share. If it feels like something you need to explain away, that’s a major red flag and is often the first sign that it’s time to redesign it!

Sign #2: You’ve Been Adding to It for Years Without Cleaning It Up

Many business owners don’t stop for a full website redesign. Instead, they keep adding things little by little.

✔ A new service page here.

✔ A new section there.

✔ An updated offer.

The more you do this, over time, your website will start to feel like a junk drawer. It’s there, holding all the things of your business past (spooky - I know), but it’s crowded, confusing, and full of things you no longer need.

Visitors can feel that confusion, too.

When your website feels cluttered, people have a harder time understanding what you do and how to work with you. And when they can’t answer those questions quickly from your website alone, they’ll likely move on to someone else without thinking twice.

The hardest part of this though is that the website visitor often just leaves without telling you why they didn’t inquire.

Then, you are left thinking websites aren’t an important part of your business simply because it isn’t doing what it is supposed to do.

Sign #3: Your Offers Have Changed, But Your Website Hasn’t

Your business is always evolving and growing and that is a good thing.

Over time, your services change, pricing increases, your process evolves. Maybe you even serve a different kind of client now than you did when your website was first built.

But if your website still speaks to the old version of your business, there is a disconnect.

A lot of business owners start working around this problem.

They send people straight to a booking link, a PDF, or a landing page they slapped together on Flodesk because it feels easier (and safer) than sending them to their website.

They skip their own services page because it’s no longer accurate.

If you are actively steering people away from your own website, that is a strong sign it may be time for a website redesign. Your website should be an asset that helps you sell, not something you have to work around.

Sign #4: You Rely Almost Entirely on Referrals and DMs

Let me be clear, getting a referral and selling in the DMs are amazing. They are both valuable ways to grow your business, and they should absolutely stay part of your strategy.

But if they are the only ways you get clients, it may be time to ask whether your website is pulling its weight.

A strategic small business website should help in the background every day.

It should build trust before someone ever speaks to you, answer common questions, help people understand your value, and make it easy to inquire.

When your website is doing what it is supposed to do, leads often come in warmer and ready to move faster. They have a higher intent because of your website.

Sign #5: You Can’t Explain What Your Website Does for Your Business

This is a simple question, but it tells you a lot.

If someone asked you right now what role your website plays in getting clients, what would you say?

If the answer is: “not much”, “I’m not sure”,“it just kind of exists” or anything along those lines…

That’s your sign.

A strong website should have a clear purpose, support lead generation, and help people trust you.

The goal of your website is to move visitors toward taking the next step.

If you cannot clearly explain what your website is doing for your business, there is a good chance it is not doing enough.

Ready to redesign your Squarespace website?

Over time, there has been a myth spreading across the online space that once your website is designed, it is complete. The reality is, the average business needs a website redesign every 2-5 years.

Outgrowing your current website is not a failure. It’s a sign that you are a normal business with normal problems. It’s also a sign your business has grown.

If you see yourself in any of these signs, your website may need some attention, and I’d love to chat with you about what’s working, what’s not, and what the best next step is for your website.

The Signature Site is built in just two weeks and includes: