The Year of the Rabbit is really the Year of the Website. Here’s why you need to hop to it.
Question: When should you redesign your website?
Long Answer: When the marketplace changes. When your business changes. When technology changes. When your competition changes. When information consumption changes.
Short Answer: Now.
I always enjoy celebrating the Lunar New Year and welcoming in the year of a specific animal. Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit. In Chinese culture, the rabbit is a symbol of longevity. Maybe that’s why Energizer chose a big pink bunny as their brand mascot.
Unfortunately, when it comes to websites, they don’t just keep going and going and going. In order to bring about the prosperity that the rabbit also stands for, websites must be tended to on a regular basis.
Content and capabilities updates work for a while, but at some point, it’s time for a major change.
That time is now. Literally everything has changed in the last few years: the marketplace, businesses, technology, competition, the way people consume information. All of it. At once.
3 Reasons to Redesign Your Website
- User Experience (UX) & User Interface (UI)
Cookie-cutter website templates basically tell today’s sophisticated site visitor that your brand isn’t special. Even worse, difficult-to-use sites indicate a brand doesn’t care about its customer experience. People have practically zero time for a poor website experience. (Actually, they will often bounce in about half a second if they are confused or let down in any way.) Focusing on a strong UX and UI will help increase engagement, boost conversion, and build brand affinity. McKinsey research proves that great UX/UI directly impacts business growth – and we’ve seen the direct impact of our website redesigns on our clients’ businesses over and over again. - Mobile Is On the Move
Whether people are working from home, at a business, or a hybrid of both, they have their phones with them. Always. And when they’re standing in line at Starbucks, they are just as likely to be researching work vendors as they are to be checking their social or ordering something from Amazon. This is a trend that has been happening for a while – and now mobile device usage accounts for nearly 61% of all website traffic. That means all brands – b2b, b2c, DTC, non-profit, membership organizations – need a modern website that puts mobile first. If your homepage has image sliders at the top, if your site is wide instead of scrolling, if your site takes more than 2 seconds to load…the time for a new website is here. - First Stop for Shopping
Whether someone hears about your brand from a referral source, social media post, online search, billboard, or ad, the next step is likely to be a visit to your website. So if you’ve gotten them to your homepage or targeted landing page, make sure it was worth the trip! Otherwise you’ve lost an opportunity – as well as whatever budget you invested in your marketing efforts to get them there. Too many businesses spend tons of time on social media yet take a “set it and forget it” attitude when it comes to their website. Remember, your website is the only digital platform your brand owns. So while the world moves from social network to social network (and rants about the distrust of those networks), you can and should curate an engaging experience that will turn site visitors into customers.
The Year of the Website is upon us! If your brand deserves to become more well-known and well-loved, please consider your digital experience. May the Year of the Rabbit bring you a new website – and multiply your success!
The S3 Agency is a brand-first digital agency that helps clients maximize their marketing ROI. For a complimentary website evaluation, please email info@theS3agency.com.
