Whilst you shouldn’t need to update your website as regularly as you update your oat milk stash, or even your mobile phone, there are some glaringly obvious signs that suggest you may need a new website.
If you are always looking at and adding to your own website then you may not even notice these signs, because the more we look the more we are blind to it.
On the other hand, looking at your website every day you may be noticing all the cracks, so take this blog as a gentle nudge to get something done about it.
Either way, take a read of our top signs that your brand needs a new website.
It is slow to load
We no longer live in the age of dial up and AOL, users now expect websites to load instantly, otherwise they may just drop off. Apparently, a whole 40% of them will if it takes longer than 3 seconds…
Unfortunately, much of the internet is full of slow loading websites. One solution may be to add an animation to your loading screen, but this doesn’t solve the real problem. Your website is probably either poorly coded, or not optimised correctly.
Many pre-made website themes (on WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, the lot!) are clunky. So before you’ve even added your own content to the site, it is already too slow.
You may have also loaded your website up with large files and dynamic content that is taking its toll.
A new website means starting from scratch and making sure the website is quick to load from the get go. All of our vegan web design builds are made from scratch so we can optimise everything as we go.
It doesn't work on mobile
Did you know that over half of internet users are browsing websites on their mobiles?
So, it is now more important than ever to make sure your website is responsive (works on desktop, laptop, mobile & tablet).
Load up your website on a range of different devices and see how it looks on each. Does the design escape past the screen edges? Are there any elements that look dodgy on one?
If something doesn’t look right then you should consider a new website that has responsive design, because who can afford to miss out on over half of internet users!
We ensure that all of our vegan web designs are fully responsive.
It looks like it was built in the 90s
Okay, maybe the 90s look is something you are trying to achieve, but for many it is simply because you haven’t touched the design in years.
You could argue that this retro look could be quite trendy, but this may well not translate well to newer devices (see the above point on responsive designs).
If your old school 90s website doesn’t look modern enough, you may well be putting off some of your target audience. In a world of Apple, we need to stay current!
All of our vegan web designs are built with longevity in mind, so your website stays current for as long as possible.
Site navigation is messy
You may well have built your website yourself, or you had a mate help out. So it is completely understandable if your website has no real site navigation. But you may not realise how detrimental this may be to both your end user and to search engines!
Having a clear and easy to follow site navigation means you can take your users on a journey through your website. They’ll understand exactly what it is you do and how they can interact with you.
The same applies for search engines. They need to know how to rank you on their search function, so make it easy for them with good navigation. Discover more about SEO here.
Whenever we start with a new web design project we make sure to map out an effective site structure so that we can build the right journeys for your end user.
You can't use the backend
An extremely common issue we encounter with our clients is that they can’t use the backend of their website which makes it even harder for them to update the design.
This is normally the problem with custom coded websites.
Pick a CMS that you can understand and build your new website there. Whenever we build a new website for our clients we walk them through the backend so they can make edits themselves.
It doesn't match your brand
If your physical offering (e.g. product) doesn’t match your website, then you may confuse your users and customers. They may well think they’ve landed on the wrong website.
Getting a website to match your brand can be tricky if you are attempting to build a website yourself, particularly on a website builder like Wix or Squarespace.
This is why it is very important to get a web designer to work with your existing branding so that they can build a website that brings it alive online.
Thinking about getting a new website for your vegan-friendly brand?
Our vegan digital marketing agency specialises in web design for vegan brands. Make the most of our free consultation here:
