As the digital face of your business, how your website is perceived to the outside world counts for a lot. Ideally, a website should have a clean layout that is easy to navigate. It should keep the user engaged and on the page instead of having them race for the ‘X’ button. Yet, so often this is not the case, and poor website design reigns supreme. 

If that sounds familiar, then this could be disastrous for your business, especially if customers aren’t able to make purchases or find the information they need. Here are 5 signs you need to hire a web design expert to tell you more. 

High Bounce Rate

“A high what now?” you might be thinking. A high bounce rate means that your visitors are quite literally, bouncing straight off your site as soon as they land on it. There could be many reasons why this is the case such as irrelevant content or a slow load time. However, your website design could also be the culprit here. 

If you view your website stats and it does indeed show a high bounce rate (anything between 26% and 40% is considered good, but ideally you want it to be as low as possible), then it’s time to take action. Admitting your web design isn’t up to scratch can be tough to accept, but you need to put the needs of your business first.

A web designer with Professional unlimited graphic design expert will come in with a fresh perspective and immediately identify any visual issues to help reduce that all important bounce rate.

A Lack Of Design Knowledge

We’ve all seen those adverts that promise you can make a website in 5 minutes. The trouble is, most of the time they end up looking like it. Knowing what colours and fonts to use as well as figuring out the best placement is tough. Ultimately, a lack of design knowledge can make your website look unprofessional. 

A web designer, on the other hand, has spent years learning how to master all of the visual and typographic elements on a website. So instead of making it up as they go along as a novice would, a web designer will instinctively know what visual choices to make. This will also save you time and effort versus trying to figure it out yourself! 

Non Responsive

Is your website responsive? Pause to go view it on several different devices and see how it opens up. Ideally, your website should adapt to whatever device it’s being viewed on. The text should be legible and easy to scroll through, without any elements being cut off. This matters because if users can’t access your website properly, they will most likely exit it never to return.

Web designers will always design with both desktop and mobile devices in mind. If your website was made on a really old website maker, the chances are it’s not responsive. It could be losing you money, especially if your website is related to your business. These days, even if you have a web designer create your new site on a ‘ready made’ template provider such as Wix, it will give you both a mobile and desktop preview.

Dated Website Design

From clipart to extremely garish colour schemes, if it’s been some time since your website has been tinkered with, then it could be showing its age. Unlike fine wine, website design does not appreciate over time! Instead, it should be regularly updated so that it provides the best user experience. From a clean layout to secure features and even links to your social media pages, a website cannot perform properly unless it is well maintained.

Having a web designer take a look at your dated website is a great opportunity to change things. For example your domain name (if it’s not memorable/not relevant to what you do), as well as your content platform. While not all websites need to be on WordPress, if you are using an extremely old website maker you’ll certainly notice the difference by switching to a more modern platform. If you aren’t sure what platform would suit you, your web designer will be able to guide you based on your technical ability and the needs of the website. 

Poor User Experience

It could be argued that all of the above lead to a poor user experience. However, this is an issue that can be in addition to existing problems you may not even be aware of. From a design perspective, your website layout should have a good flow. Users who land on your homepage should be able to quickly find where they need to be, with everything displayed in a logical order. Your content also needs to be visually easy to read and scroll through too.

If anything is contributing towards a poor user experience, then a website designer is best placed to address this. From the wrong use of colours to illegible text, buttons that don’t work and even broken links. A web designer will work with you to ascertain the best layout and visuals for your website. They will thoroughly road test it to ensure everything works before it goes live. This will ensure a good user experience going forward, especially if you monitor your site for any future issues and fix them promptly. 

To sum up

If all that talk of web design has left you feeling a little baffled, don’t panic! A web designer, with their thorough knowledge of colour, layout, and functionality will be able to get your site back on track. 

From e-commerce websites to hotel booking portals and tourist information hubs – whatever your website is about, ensuring the design looks professional will allow it to reach its potential.