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5 Ways to Tell Your Clients Their Baby is Ugly (And Yes, We Mean Their Website)

Author: Tom Cottrill | Date Posted: Feb 11, 2021

We’ve all been there. A client asks for your honest opinion of their website. Gulp.

After years in marketing, you know better than to call their baby ugly even though everyone in the room knows it is. Nothing good can come from that. Nothing.

Luckily, in most cases, ugly websites have more going on than what’s visible on the surface. And it’s all the stuff going on behind the scenes that you can use to convince your clients it’s time for a redesign without insulting the people who had a hand in making the existing website.

5 Ways to Convince Your Client’s it is Time for a Redesign

Many factors go into the decision of a redesign, some sites can stay fresh for years, and others seem dated before they even go live. The consensus within the industry seems to be a site refresh or redesign every 2-3 years.

That being said, your clients will most likely not agree! Since you are operating in their best interests, it is your job to convince them otherwise. Below are a few arguments you can use to help your clients see the light.

1. Website is not mobile-friendly – This is probably the #1 reason to convince your clients to invest in a redesign. Google relies on mobile-first indexing and 43.89% of all total web visits.in 2020 were on mobile devices. You can’t let your clients ignore this growing segment. If it is challenging to scroll, zoom, click products or fill out lead-forms through mobile, your clients need a redesign. End of story.
2. Browser compatibility issues – Browsers such as Safari and Google Chrome get updates regularly. If your clients’ websites are not displaying properly or running smoothly on newer browser versions it could be time for an update.
3. Outdated design – We mentioned earlier that you can’t call your client’s baby ugly, but you can point out ways the internet is evolving. Share some new design trends that can help to increase usability and improve aesthetics. A simple redesign can do wonders for how visitors view your clients’ brands.
4. Falling behind on updates – If your clients are running outdated versions of software or CMS solutions, they could be putting visitors at risk and their business at risk. Hackers target sites that are not up-to-date. It would be in your clients’ best interests to create a site that is lower maintenance.
5. The homepage isn’t delivering – The homepage is the hardest working page on your clients’ entire websites. If it is underperforming, the site as a whole will underperform. The average attention span is low, so you need to make sure your clients are utilizing every bit of real estate to sell their business.

**BONUS – While poor SEO isn’t necessarily a reason to do an entire redesign of your client’s website, it could be a convincing argument. If their website was not originally designed to be SEO-friendly, a new site gives them an opportunity to improve organic rankings in a way that will drive traffic and rank for additional keywords they weren’t able to compete for with the existing site limitations.

Sometimes a mock-up can be the best way to tell a client their baby is ugly without actually saying it. Present a rough mock-up of what the homepage could look like on a new site and put it on a screen next to their current site. If that doesn’t convince them it’s time for a redesign, nothing will.

About Ignitro Studios

Since 2013, Ignitro Studios has been working to blend marketing and technology in support of agencies and other marketers. By understanding both sides of web development, we have a unique perspective and advantage within the industry. We provide design, development, project management, QA, and strategy, driving the bus so our clients don’t have to. We will work with our clients to get results while also empowering them to do their job better. Learn more about Ignitro Studios.

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