There’s no denying that America is facing tough economic times. More than likely, you’re experiencing this personally and in your business. High inflation, increasing interest rates, and sky-rocketing gas prices are likely to cause you to evaluate all aspects of your business and consider making changes. Have you considered where your website fits into this equation? And have you asked yourself, is it worth the investment to make changes or re-design my site? Or, am I missing revenue opportunities online? 

The answer…maybe. In this blog post, we will explore some of the pros and cons of pursuing a website redesign in today’s economy. By the end of it, you should have a good idea of whether or not now is the right time for you to make this investment. So let’s get started!

1. Evaluate your website’s function and design

Does your business already have a website? If you don’t, then you need to start making a plan to get one up as fast as possible. Research shows that 283 million Americans are shopping and researching online. That’s around 80% of the population and growing every day. If you need help getting started, schedule a meeting with one of our experts today.

If you do have a website, you need to evaluate if you’re utilizing it to its full potential. Could you start selling products online? Could your customers book appointments online? Is my phone number easily accessible? Is there too much information on my website? If I didn’t know what my business did, would my website tell me that in less than 30 seconds? 

2. Assess your website traffic and user engagement

Simply having a website is not enough. We recommend utilizing Google Analytics to see how many visitors you’re getting to your site and their engagement. You could be losing users because the information is not easily accessible. Another tool you could utilize is Hotjar heatmapping which shows visual user behavior. Also, take note of where your website traffic is coming from. 

3. Research current web design trends

Take a look at your competitor! Research others in your industry and examine what they’re doing vs. what you’re doing. You may be surprised at what you find. Don’t simply look to copy them but ask yourself, how can I make this even better. 

4. Calculate the cost of a redesign vs. the potential return on investment

Do some research on what the average cost is for a site build or get a quote from our experts. Start putting together what pages and functionality you’d like so our team can give you an accurate estimate. Once you have that, calculate how long it would take to recoup that cost? If you have the opportunity to sell products online in addition to a storefront, how quickly could you double your sales? Or if your customers can schedule meetings online, how many additional meetings could you schedule a month? 

5. Make a decision based on your findings

Once you’ve done your research and evaluated the potential ROI, then you can definitively say “yes” or “no.” Each client and project is unique so a one shoe fits all approach won’t work when it comes to your business website. If you need help through this discovery process, chat with one of our web experts. There might be revenue opportunities for you online that you don’t know about.