A website redesign project is a major undertaking, but it is well worth the effort. While you can always find other ways to use your time and spend your money, putting those resources toward your website will pay off for virtually every aspect of your business. If you find your site is lacking in one or more of the following ways, it may be time for a redesign.

Improve The Design for Mobile Users

As of 2014, mobile users outnumber desktop users with anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of traffic for major search engines and retail sites. There is no question that company websites must be mobile to stay competitive. Modern websites require a mobile responsive website design, which adjusts the format of the site automatically for multiple devices. This means that users can view your website on computers and mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, and will always see a format that is optimized for their specific device.

Get Rid of Any Bugs

We’ve all visited websites that just don’t work the way that they should. The top navigation buttons send users to dead links, or the landing pages don’t match the content that the company advertises. Your site shouldn’t fall into the category of poorly working websites. When something stops working or needs to be tweaked, take care of it right away.

Better the User Experience

Even when your site works well, it may not necessarily be user friendly. Typically companies have as little as 15 seconds to capture the attention of their target audience when users arrive at their website. This means that users must be able to find what they’re looking for in a matter of a few seconds, or they’ll go elsewhere. If you aren’t sure whether your site is intuitive or not, solicit feedback directly from your users. Pay attention to their suggestions and make changes as needed.

Incorporate Social Media

Social media is a must for staying competitive within your industry. At a bare minimum, your site should have links to your social media accounts. Take it one step further and add social sharing tools so that users can easily share your content. Include tools for Facebook and Twitter and any other social media channels that your target audience uses frequently, such as Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Refresh the Aesthetic

It can be hard to admit that your website has become boring. There may not be anything wrong with the functionality of the site, but if it looks boring to your employees, most likely it looks boring to your site visitors as well. You don’t want to make changes simply for the sake of making changes. But if it’s been a year or more since you’ve changed anything substantial about the site (i.e. color scheme, layout, menu buttons), it may be time to do a little updating.

Overhauling a website is a big project, which is why many companies put it off as long as possible. Although a full site redesign is a lot of work, it’s key for running a successful modern business. Keeping your company’s site fresh, intuitive, and up-to-date will make it one of your most effective marketing tools. Prioritize your most important redesign tasks, and then address smaller tasks as you are able to do so.