Are you in a website-rut – aka your site needs a major lift, but you don’t want to fork out the money? Trust me, I GET IT! If you want to meet a person who is defined by their frugality, let’s go grab some coffee. It’s minorly embarrassing. So I decided that I would write a post to help you decipher if it is time for you to personally overhaul your website or hire a web designer. I understand that this is a BIG decision, so I am honest and real with you if it is time! Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you determine if you need a new website:

1. Does my site appear outdated?

If you don’t know the answer to this question, simply send your site to someone between the ages of 18 and 30 and ask them. They will be honest and will know right away if your site is outdated. Check out this before-and-after of a site that I designed and you may notice you seem drawn to one over the other…

2. Is my site user-friendly?

I always talk to my clients about the importance of the JOURNEY for the user. When I am mapping out their site, I decide where I want them to go from the home page. Usually it is the Services page and from there to maybe the Product page or Contact page. You want this journey to be seamless and also easy to navigate full of on-brand buttons that stand out.

3. Does my site align with my brand?

It is very common for your business to start out as one thing and greatly change by the end of your first year (mine sure did!). Make sure your website reflects this change as well as the story behind your brand. Nowadays people are looking for more than a website that says what you do; they are looking for an experience.

Can I just do this myself?

You may be able to do it! If your site was created on a platform that is easy to navigate like Squarespace or Showit, you may be able to go in and add buttons and freshen things up. However if the platform is difficult or you can’t see past your site and HOW to improve it, it may help to get a professional in there. If the site design itself looks pretty good, you may just need to re-write your copy to make it more interesting and keep people on your site longer. I will be posting a blog in 3 weeks (July 23) all about when it is time to hire a copywriter for your website so stay tuned for that! If you want a FREE audit of your first page of your website (aka the most important page) with some tips, shoot me an email at bekah@rebekahreadcreative.com and I will look it over!