There are many reasons to initiate a website redesign. Maybe your business is experiencing poor traffic due to customer engagement or targeting issues. This applies especially if the site in question has been running longer than one year and has not been routinely updated. While staying relevant in today’s fast-paced business environment is certainly paramount, it is also costly. To assist with this process, here is a list of five questions to consider before beginning a website redesign.
1. Identify Problems With Your Current Site
Consider resources, content, images, and layouts–are they modern and relevant, or do they scream 1996? Outdated elements send a subconscious message to customers that you are behind the times. Likewise, defective hyperlinks and images can frustrate customers, while antiquated information increases customer confusion and creates more of a hassle for your business. One surefire way to solve this dilemma is by making a list of everything wrong with the site, then considering plausible solutions for each of those problems.
2. When Was the Website Last Updated?
The answer to this question should give you some idea of how intensive the redesign process will be. Websites that have not been updated in over a year or more will require some serious commitment, while those that have undergone routine maintenance should be a synch. The longer a website remains outdated, the less it will show up in search results. Not showing up in search results means less exposure, less traffic, and less revenue.
3. Consider Other Websites
Comparing your site to that of your competition is a great way to gain some inspiration and simultaneously gain a leg up on the competition. Ask yourself, what do I like about these sites? Do they have an inherently modern design? What extraneous features do they offer that your site lacks? Even if the site you analyze does not belong to a direct competitor, you can still glean insight concerning what is and isn’t working for that particular brand. From there, you can apply these specific ideas to your brand and vision.
4. Is Your Site Optimized for Mobile Devices?
Nowadays, people want to be able to look at anything and everything through the screen of their smartphone. Not only do they desire this type of interaction, they demand it. Consequently, not ensuring that your site is optimized for mobile devices could severely impact your business. Not only do non-optimized sites look terrible on a mobile screen, they perform unsatisfactorily and load about as quickly as a sloth climbing a tree. Conversely, sites that are optimized for mobile devices reflect a clean, user-friendly environment that is essential to today’s modern business environment.
5. What is Your Goal?
Narrowing down your goals before initiating a website redesign is essential. Do you want to increase lead conversion? Maximize purchases? Redirect attention a physical location? Whatever it may be, identifying the primary goal prior to implementing new website changes will help you optimize your website’s SEO during the redesign period.
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