If you believe in “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” you’ll be correct most of the time. However, when it comes to your station website, if it’s been three years or more since you’ve had a redesign, it could technically be broken. Today, we’ll talk about why and how often you might need a website redesign.
Nothing can be more terrifying (or exciting) than redesigning your website. There’s work involved in determining why you might want a redesign, but it’s an opportunity to refresh your brand’s look and provide visitors with something more visually appealing.
Some companies remodel their websites several times a year because they have the notion that they haven’t found the right look yet – or that the design should match their latest product in some way. There’s no need for those extreme measures.
Some radio stations go way too long without updating their websites – sometimes for decades. So, how often should you redesign your website, and why should you?
Why redesign your website?
These days, every business must have a nice-looking, easy-to-use responsive website. It’s also critical to keep your website up-to-date and the content fresh. If you fail at this, your visitors will assume you do not value your web presence. If you want to make money with your station website (and your radio station), looking current with your online presence is the most significant factor. It will be a tough sell if you expect to generate revenue with an old-looking single-page informational website about your radio station.
It may be time for a redesign if any of the following statements are true.
1. Your site has no/little traffic.
Something is seriously wrong if nobody visits your station website. Is it because your content isn’t worth returning for? Your content should always be fresh to entice return visitors. Is the content not optimized, or does your site not appear in search? Can search engines see your website so that you appear in their results for keywords that people might be searching for? Is your website slow? Speed is a massive factor in return visitors. Regardless, very little traffic indicates that something needs to change immediately.
This is a good place to interject, if you’re creating great content optimized for speed and search, ensure that you’re promoting it well on-air and over social media. The best circle for radio now is having a great website that promotes return visitors and on-air listening while having an on-air and social media strategy that brings listeners to the website. Keeping listeners in that circle is how stations make significant revenue because your advertisers can be sold on every platform.
2. Your traffic is good, but your visitors only stay for a short time.
Are visitors to your website leaving without doing anything? For example, are they coming from a link on Facebook, reading the article, and then clicking back over to Facebook without streaming the station, registering for a contest, or signing up for your newsletter?
Your website should achieve goals. Something needs to be tweaked if this isn’t happening because a high bounce rate or little “time on site” value affects how your website appears in search results.
This could be a small tweak, like adding below the content, “if you liked this article, you might like these,” with links to similar articles.
3. Your design appears outdated.
People with no design experience can tell if a website needs updating. According to many studies, website visitors make trust judgments about your company within 15 seconds of landing on your website. And if that visitor is a potential client, they will likely be hesitant to advertise with your station if your website needs to be updated.
Numerous studies have proven that consumers will most likely go with a company that has a nice-looking, easy-to-use website because it assures that the company is growing and on top of the latest trends and technologies. You may have the mindset of “we focus on the best radio product,” but you’ll never have the chance to convey that to your audience and advertisers if they see your junk website first.
4. Your site isn’t mobile-friendly.
When your website is mobile-friendly, it’s designed, developed, and optimized for users on all standard mobile devices. It’s hard to believe that some websites are still not optimized for mobile devices. According to research, mobile devices account for over half of all internet usage, and it’s increasing.
Make sure your website is “responsive”. Responsive means that the website automatically adjusts itself to look good on any device size. It minimizes scrolling, panning, zooming, and—most importantly—confusion. Website visitors don’t want to be confused when they land on your website; a confused customer never acts.
Hands down, if your site is not optimized for mobile use, it’s time to catch up.
5. You are embarrassed by your website.
Having an embarrassing website is like having a really messy house. You just don’t want to bring people back there.
If you are embarrassed to give out your website address because you are afraid of what your listeners and clients might think of it, it’s past time for a redesign. Many of our new clients are reluctant to give us their current site address because they are embarrassed. It’s natural.
Just know that a bad website can hurt your business far more than not having one at all. Many people now realize that 60% of sales happen before the client contacts you. Your station or group website plays an increasingly important part in the path to new business.
6. You want more control over updating your website.
Many radio stations we talk to still rely on someone outside the station to perform their website updates like adding events, contests, etc. When you have complete control over your website, it means that you can create content and marketing campaigns much faster because you’re not putting in a ticket or e-mailing someone and waiting for them to take care of it on their time.
Content marketing has become very important and can play a huge role in the success of your radio station and your overall business. The ability to update and add new content is necessary, and you should be able to do this through a content management system like WordPress easily.
How often should you redesign your station website?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but the convention states that your website should be remodeled every two to three years. Two to three years in the digital space can be a lifetime. Do you know of anyone still carrying around an iPhone 11? That was the latest model just close to four years ago.
An alternative is using a template that allows you to make small changes over time rather than doing complete remodels. If you use a template or a service that allows this, this is the way to go because huge website changes can leave your frequent visitors having to re-learn your website. You’ll always find some reluctant to change – and they’re more vocal about it now. So, be sure to do some research for the future if you’re looking at different options or changing website providers.
In conclusion
Hopefully, we’ve shown the importance of changing your website’s look so that you’re always giving an upbeat, modern impression of your radio station and company to visitors and potential clients. Remember that websites are your company’s online face, so they need to reflect the values you bring.
Periodically compare your website with others, especially your competitors, and see how your site is different in design and quality of content. If your website appears outdated or is too similar, go for a more modern design. Also, look at functionality. Are you beating your competition in implementing contests, displaying events, news, or other content? If you decide to do a usability test with people outside the radio station, compare their experience with your competitor’s website versus your own.
The ball is at your feet. Ready for a website redesign that will get more visitors? Reach out to us to start the process.
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