5 Questions to Ask Before Tackling a Website Redesign
By PaperStreet on May 11, 2011 in Web Design
Save your business time, money and headaches by considering the following questions before embarking on a website redesign:
1) Your website’s purpose — What the heck is it?
The first and probably most important thing to consider about your website redesign is its purpose. What does your website do, or better yet, what didn’t your website do before that you would like it to do now? Would you like to increase sales? Do you want your website to act as an informational brochure? These are all things to consider and knowing what you want to accomplish through the redesign helps to determine how things should be set up.
Another important thing to consider is if you plan on having a blog or frequently updating information throughout the website. If that’s the case, then a content management solution would be ideal for easier upkeep. If not, then a more simple, cost-effective solution would probably be a better idea.
2) What do you like — and what do you hate — about your current site?
I recommend making a list of everything you like and dislike about your current website. Some things to consider would be content presentation, navigational structure and calls-to-action. Also, identify what you think is working on the website so you know what to keep for the next iteration.
This is also a good time to compile customer feedback to get a real idea of what your customers are experiencing. Keep in mind, though, just because there’s an element of the website you really like, say your nifty flash navigation, it may actually be a major annoyance to your customers. You will find out even more information once you can get more accurate customer data.
3) Does your entire brand need a facelift?
This is a good time to consider if you need a full branding change. Your website may not be the only thing aging. Take a look at your branding; does it still represent what your company is all about? Does it convey the message you would like it to convey to the masses? You may just want to spruce up your image a bit to make it more modern. Whatever the case, one thing to keep in mind is to be careful to not do something too drastic with your rebranding effort, which could totally confuse your current customers. I always tell clients to try and keep it as simple as possible and to not go overboard.
4) Can you be found through search engine results?
Chances are you do rank in search engines, but what rank are you? If you are not on the first page of results, it’s time to rethink your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy. During your redesign, make sure your website is made to be as accessible and friendly as possible, so that the search engines can present users with the information that they are searching for. You may need to redo your key word research to make sure you are still targeting relevant terms. Also, look for ways to tighten up your page titles as well. Another thing to consider is your internal links and whether they are as optimized as they can possibly be. This is also a good time to figure out what pages and terms are bringing in the most traffic, so that way you don’t mess up anything that has already been working for you in the past.
5) Need more advice?
These are just a few major things to consider before taking on a website redesign. Remember to keep it simple and take small but thorough steps in order to ensure a successful redesign. Most of the time a simple redesign may be all your website needs to get back in the lime light and attract new customers while also expanding your business to new markets. You can always contact PaperStreet if you need more assistance.
