It is a Digital Marketing Era
Recently, I have had many clients interested in redesigning and updating their company website. The question I keep hearing is “When is the right time?” and “What should I consider as I redesign our site?”.
Thirty years ago, when we were first introduced to the internet, IT departments built and managed most websites due to the complexity of the programming, putting everything possible on their site basically creating a digital brochure. Now, website design is an industry all on its own, where a great web design can help businesses grow and prosper while bad web presences lead others to fail. A website is much more than great image placement. Companies must consider load speed, content placement, user experience and engagement, SEO optimization, and complimenting a company’s overall digital strategy. The most significant advantage of a website is the ability to reach a global audience. With the advent of search engines, businesses have access to millions of potential customers worldwide. Is your website working best for you?
What to Consider When Updating Your Website
Why should I redesign my website?
Maybe you want to rebrand your site, creating a consistent look and feel across your site. Do you want to drive more traffic to your site? SEO is a central aspect of a website, optimizing a site’s content and structure to make it more search engine-friendly, allowing businesses to increase their visibility in search engine results pages, potentially generating more traffic and leads and boosting your online presence. Redesigning your website also enables you to leverage new technologies and design trends, offering a seamless user experience and perhaps more intuitive navigation.
When is the right time to redesign your website?
Organizations go back and forth trying to determine the right time to redesign their website. To help with making this decision, consider a few key factors.
Evaluate the Freshness of Your Website
In today’s fast-paced digital world, having an outdated website can create a negative impression and make your brand seem outdated. If your design, content, or functionality lacks modernity, visitors may perceive your brand as unprofessional or unreliable. It’s crucial to keep your website up to date with the latest technological advancements to maintain a positive digital reputation.
Assess Your Website’s Performance Compared to Competitors
Look at your competitors’ websites and compare them to your site. Are their sites more engaging, user-friendly, or do they include some unique features? If your website is falling behind in terms of user experience or failing to offer compelling features, it can be an indication that it’s time to redesign your website to stay competitive.
Evaluate Your Website’s Effectiveness in Generating Sales or Leads
Determine how well your current website is performing in terms of generating sales or leads. If you’re not achieving your desired results or if your business has undergone significant changes, such as adding or discontinuing products or services, it’s essential to align your website with your current offerings. A redesign will allow you to better promote your updated products or services and increase your chances of attracting and converting potential customers.
Does my website need a refresh or a redesign?
A website refresh refers to making minor changes and updates to the content that’s already there. This can include changing up the photos used on the website or updating your color scheme. A refresh is recommended when you’re generally happy with your website and only a handful of pages need updating. You can complete a website refresh relatively quickly.
However, redesigning a website is more involved, completely changing the look and feel of your website as well as writing new copy, replacing media, and coming up with a new site structure for easier navigation. If your website is not bringing you sales or your conversion rate is low, then it’s better to choose the website redesign option to give your website a new life.
Will I be able to update my content?
Website redesigns often include a new frontend and backend (content management system), improving it both for website visitors and the team who manages your site. A modern CMS empowers you to manage and update your website content efficiently, even without extensive technical knowledge. With user-friendly interfaces and intuitive editing tools, you can easily make changes, add new pages, update products or services, and publish blog posts. This saves time and reduces the cost associated with hiring a web developer for every content update.
CMS platforms often include built-in SEO features or plugins that simplify the optimization process. Website owners can easily optimize metadata, URLs, headings, and other elements crucial for search engine visibility. A great benefit of a CMS is that it provides collaborative features, allowing multiple users to work together on the website. Teams can have different levels of access and permissions, ensuring proper content approval processes and version control.
How will I know if my redesign is working?
A crucial strategy in attracting and retaining visitors is a good website design, easy to navigate, visually appealing, and responsive to users’ interactions. Your business should focus on enhancing its website’s user experience to drive engagement and conversion. The most valuable tool of digital marketing is the ability to track and measure results. Analytics tools provide businesses with valuable insights into the effectiveness of their digital marketing campaigns. This data allows them to continually optimize their strategies and tactics to improve their return on investment. In most cases, you can get the data you want from Google Analytics, you must ensure that you have Google Analytics installed on your website and properly configured so that you can analyze and make the right decisions for your business.
As Your Business Evolves, so Should Your Website
Your website is the virtual face of your company. While revamping your website might seem like a daunting task, once you know your options and what steps are involved, it’s easier to put together a game plan to redesign your website and set your business up for success.