There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to the lifespan of a typical website. If you Google, you’ll get a page-worth of answers ranging from 2 to 2.5 years. It seems a tad quick, even for the internet. But to be fair, a website revamp depends on your site and your market. When looking at typical B2B websites, you could probably double or even triple that number. That gets you in the range of every 5 to 7 years to consider an entire website refresh. This includes significant site structure updates like reorganizing your services categories or adding fresh features such as video thumbnails in the expanded navigation.
ODEA will always be ready to assist you fully in this process, but here are some thought starters we’d like you to consider as you dive back into your website the second, third, or even fourth time:
What’s working?
Do you have any features of your site that work exceptionally well that you know you need to carry over into the next version? For example, it could be your contact form filling your biz dev needs with lots of the right leads or that your robust blog section is getting an increasing amount of traffic month over month.
What’s not working?
Let’s be blunt: Anything you HATE? Does the text cut off, or is it hard to read on certain panels of your homepage? Did your site not get the best mobile version during the last update, and now, every time you thumb through, the user experience feels extremely clunky? You’ll want to take note of these and ensure they are fixed in the next version.
Has the audience or product shifted at all? And has overall brand messaging stayed the same?
A website redesign is an excellent opportunity to step back and examine if the messages you are trying to convey and the audience you are trying to talk to on the site are still the same. Any audience, product, or brand messaging updates require a total reexamination of site structure, content, and imagery/branding.
Can everyone access my site?
Accessibility and accommodating those with disabilities no longer relates to physical businesses but the digital world. For accessibility, the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the two main guidelines for your website to follow. Both have certain requirements and standards your site must meet to become certified.
Is my current site manageable (and scalable)?
In the past, we’ve worked with clients who may be on legacy CMS platforms that cannot be updated consistently. This puts them at a greater risk of having to do an emergency web overhaul should their site ever permanently crash from the lack of available updates. This is a big reason why ODEA recommends CMS platforms like WordPress that regularly have important bug fixes and updates to their platform and plugins.
Is it mobile-responsive?
Having a mobile-friendly site in 2023 may seem like the norm now. Still, the mobile landscape is constantly evolving, and reevaluating your mobile site consistently will ensure that when new iPhone and Android versions are launched, your site is still pixel-perfect each time a new user visits your homepage.
Can this site help me reach my business goals for the next 3 – 7 years?
Since we mentioned your website would probably need to be refreshed every 3 – 7 years, ensure your next version can reach your business goals during that timeframe. If it can’t, maybe your timeline or budget doesn’t allow for your full wishlist; we recommend launching a minimal viable web product and then tacking on phase 2 or even 3 when time and budget allow.
Redesigning your website, even after you’ve spent countless hours and budget the first time around, can feel like a daunting task, but it is so worth it when you know your site fully reflects the 2023+ version of your business. It’s a big elephant to take a bite out of, but ODEA is always here to help guide you through the entire process, start to finish. So if you’ve felt it’s time to refresh, ask yourself the above questions, and we’ll be happy to help guide you through the answers!