Is Your Website Losing You Customers? 7 Signs You Need a New Website

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 20:53:05 GMT

Quick Summary

While some websites may just need some updates and a design refresh, others would benefit more from a full redesign. Here are seven signs that you need a new website:

The navigation is confusing.
The design is outdated.
It isn’t mobile-friendly.
It’s difficult to use.
Your company has grown, or branding has changed since your last design.
You hesitate to share your website with others.
You aren’t getting consistent leads.

At Hummingbird Media , we help local service-based businesses in Arkansas stand out with custom websites that are user-friendly, conversion-focused, and aligned with your brand. Reach out today if you’d like to schedule a free consultation.

1. How Do I Know If My Website Navigation Is Too Confusing?

The menu at the top of your website is one of the most important elements. A well-designed navigation menu has clear labels that immediately tell users what to expect from your website. The goal is to make it easy for anyone visiting your website to tell what you do.

To avoid confusion:

Use Clear Language

Don’t use jargon (terms that only people in your industry would understand) or unclear labels. If they can’t read it and know exactly what it means, change it. For example, instead of putting “SEO” on our navigation menu, we put “Lead Generation” with a submenu of different ways we help clients get leads, including SEO . We did this because we’ve found many people don’t know what SEO is, so it’s better to show them what they’re actually looking for when they come to us: leads.

Keep It Simple

Only add the most important pages or categories to your main menu. Often this would be your home page, about page, services page(s) (nested under a submenu when it makes sense), and a contact page. When it makes sense, use navigation folders with sub-menus that keep it clean and easy to understand.

For example, this client has “drugstore” and “pharmacy” in their business name. Since their business name is prominently featured, patients can easily tell what they do. Thus, it made sense to create a services navigation folder with a submenu showing “Pharmacy,” “Medication Management,” and “Vaccines” to keep the menu from getting too cluttered.

Consider Essential User Actions

Consider the actions you want users to take. Pages like your Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, etc., don't need to be in your main navigation. Instead, you can link them in your footer. Instead, focus on pages that give important information for potential customers and the conversion action you want them to take.

For example, for this wealth management company, we ensured they had a clear “Contact Us” button and the most important pages potential clients may want to visit before deciding to book.

2. Does An Outdated Website Make a Business Look Less Trustworthy?

The short answer is yes. We don’t have a magic number for how often you should redesign your website; however, if you wait long enough, it becomes obvious to users that it hasn’t been updated in a long time. This makes people wonder if your business is still active and keeps up with the times. Most people do their research before choosing a business, so your website is often their first impression.

If you want to see if it’s time for a redesign, it may help to look at your most successful competitors and compare your website to theirs.

In some industries, you may find that most businesses have an outdated website. This doesn’t mean that you should redesign yours. Instead, it presents an opportunity for your business to stand out. If you can’t find good examples, look at well-known national brands and even industries similar to yours.

3. How Important Is Mobile-Friendly Design?

Recent research shows that about 53.37% of users worldwide visit websites on mobile devices instead of desktops. While this may vary by industry, more people are using phones over computers.

Mobile-friendly design means optimizing a website differently for mobile than for desktop. This can include text alignment, section organization, button placement/type, and more. It’s likely that many, if not most, of your users will visit your website on their phone.

4. How Can I Tell If My Website Is Difficult to Use?

It can be hard to look at your own website objectively. If possible, have a friend or family member you trust visit your website and ask them the following questions. If you do not have someone, you can go through and ask yourself these questions. Just keep in mind that you have to pretend like you know nothing about your business.

Did any pages take too long to load?
Did any pages not load at all or return a 404 Error? A 404 Error happens when a button or link leads to a page that doesn’t exist.
Were there any buttons that didn’t work?
Was there anything that you expected to be clickable and wasn’t?
Were you able to find the information about my services easily?
Were you able to find a way to contact me/book an appointment/etc. easily?
Were there any pages that were hard to read, navigate, or were just visually overwhelming? For example, text that’s too light to read or too long, images that are too large, blurry, or poorly lit.

These are some great questions to start with. If you find there are multiple issues, you may want to consider a redesign.

5. How Do I Know If My Business Has Outgrown My Website?

Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with your website other than it’s just not a good fit anymore. Whether your company has grown or your branding has changed, if your website no longer accurately reflects your business and brand, it’s time for a change.

Your Company Has Grown

This is a reason to celebrate! Often as companies grow, so do their services, team, and capabilities. You want a website that shows everything you do and, when possible, the people behind your business.

For example, in the past year, our team at Hummingbird Media has more than doubled. As a result, we’ve been able to offer more services and expand. While we loved our previous website, we were ready for a new one that could reflect everything we offer and serve us better. That’s why we redesigned our website this month.

Your Branding Has Changed

Changing your branding can be exciting and give your business a fresh feel. If you update your branding, you'll want to make sure your website aligns with it. Once you've nailed down your new branding, meet with a web designer and share your vision for your website redesign.

6. You Hesitate to Share Your Website with Others.

If someone asks for your website, do you change the subject or warn them before they visit it that you’ve been meaning to get a new one?

Maybe you got a website a long time ago to check it off the list when you first started. We see this a lot with local business owners, and it’s completely understandable. You’re busy running your own business, and you don’t have time to learn website design.

At the same time, you know you need a website, so you get a template up over the weekend or cash in a favor from a family member to build you one. Or you spend many hours trying to design it yourself and give up in frustration.

Or sometimes, you pay a designer, and it’s just not what you had pictured.

Whatever the reason is, we believe you should be proud to share your website. The best websites are those that reflect you and your business effortlessly. They aren’t cookie-cutter; they aren’t generic and full of stock photos.

7. Why Am I Getting Website Traffic and No Leads?

If you’re driving traffic to your website with social media , ads , or SEO and still aren’t seeing leads, it may be your website design.

Websites shouldn’t just look great; they need to help you do business. Websites designed to convert have clear calls to action, are easy to navigate, answer potential questions, provide social proof, and focus on users, not business owners.

Clear and Frequent Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

First, make sure you have calls to action, or opportunities for people to take the action you want (like “Book Now,” “Contact Us,” and “Sign Up”). Don’t make people hunt for them. If you want them to book, give them plenty of chances throughout your website to do so.

Your buttons should also make it obvious what happens when people click them. If you have buttons that say things like “Love It,” people may not be sure what to expect when they click.

Easy Navigation and Flow

Your website should have a logical flow. Put the most important items at the top of a page with easy ways to get to other important pages. As mentioned before, your navigation menu is important for flow.

Answer Potential Questions

Think about the most common questions you get from your potential customers before they’re willing to work with you. Try to answer these questions on your website so that they feel confident when they contact you.

Provide Social Proof

As they say, the proof is in the pudding. If your website is all talk and no proof, people are less likely to trust you and give you their business. When possible, include customer reviews, case studies, or customer video testimonials.

Choose reviews that are specific and highlight what makes you different or address common pain points. For example, if you’re a health coach, instead of picking a review that says “She’s the best health coach ever!” choose a review that says something like “She made me meal plans that are easy to follow and fit into my routines with ease. She’s taken the stress out of trying to eat healthy!”

Focus on Your Audience

Here’s the biggest secret: your website isn’t really about you; it’s about who you serve. They want to know whether you understand them, whether they can trust you, and whether you can actually help them. Your website is a way for you to truly connect with your ideal customer and show them you GET IT.

Get a Free Consultation

If you’re a business owner in Arkansas and you’re ready for a new website, we’d love to help. We follow a straightforward process that includes your feedback throughout the design, so you love the finished product. We offer custom web design for local, service-based businesses. You can check out some of our past work and learn more about our web design here .

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