As technology advances, the expectations of internet users advance with it. According to a Forbes article on top technology trends for 2014–2016, “A great digital experience is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a make-or-break point for your business as we more fully enter the digital age.”

Does your site provide a “great digital experience” or is it a throwback to the early internet days? Here are some key indicators that it could be time for a redesign:

1. Unresponsive: This means your website doesn’t display properly on smartphones and tablets. Check your site’s responsiveness by accessing it on your smartphone or tablet. Is it a miniature, unreadable version of the site? If so, it is unresponsive. With mobile internet access nearly outpacing PC-based access, a website must be able to identify its access device and display accordingly. Otherwise, you may drive away a substantial number of site visitors.  (See our Mobile Websites blog post for more information.)
2. High “Bounce” Rate: A website metric, the word “bounce” designates a site visitor who arrives at a webpage and then exits without further site interaction. A high bounce rate for a webpage means it fails to engage its visitors. There is an array of analytics software products which measure a site’s bounce rate along with many other key stats. The most well-known, by far, is Google Analytics which is free and relatively easy to use once you learn the basics.
3. Low Quality Images: Today’s online universe abounds with compelling graphics, photographs and videos. A home page or landing page has just two to three seconds to capture the visitors’ attention and nothing does it like visual media. Check out Apple’s or Microsoft’s websites and see if you agree.
   

   A great digital experience (website) is a make-or-break point for any business

4. Slow Performance: Now more than ever, a website must display its pages rapidly.  Visitors don’t stick around waiting for a page to download; they move onto a competitor site instead, unbeknownst to you.
5. Outdated: Just like the fashion industry, website styles change. These days, designs are less cluttered, more focused. Companies no longer jam the home page with paragraphs of text about their services or products. The emphasis is on immediately engaging the visitor and making it easy to find more information.

When you take stock of your website, remember to view it from the perspective of a site visitor, someone who may know nothing about your company, products or services.  And above all else, be humble and open to content and design changes and enhancements.