Does Your Business Website Need a Redesign? Read On.

Many companies out there have been through it. After dwindling numbers, or numbers that maybe weren’t that impressive to begin with, the blame has been placed on the website. Maybe it’s not getting enough hits. Maybe not enough visitors are turning into customers. Perhaps it’s taking too long to load, or it’s just too confusing to navigate. Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure: the website needs a serious redesign.
As I’m sure you’ve already figured out, redesigning a website is no easy task. There are multiple risks that come with the process. Look through this quick guide. Here, you will find important advice for every step that you need to take on this journey!
Assess the failing points of your current website
If you want to rest the blame on certain failings on your website, then you need to be more specific. If your website has failed you, then how has it failed you? You need to know this. If you don’t, you could be dooming yourself to repeat the same mistakes.
See if you can get some customer feedback. You should also look into hiring a user experience reviewer. These guys are experts when it comes to finding problems in websites that will create a negative experience on your website. But if the problems aren’t too technical and you’re simply bored of the design? Then you still need to specify what exactly it is you want in a new design.
Reassess your goals
What were your goals when you started the original website? Presumably, you wanted to bring more attention to your business. A website can be the strongest marketing tool a business has, after all.
But was there anything else? Think hard. What information did you want to pass along through your website? What kind of company image or personality were you hoping to cultivate? These specifications will be crucial for the next step. And remember to look at those with a critical eye. It’s possible that your previous website did actually meet a lot of the original goals. So what if the problems were with the goals themselves?
Find the right web design agency
Once you know the failings of your previous website, you need to decide where the blame for that lies. If the design of the website wasn’t up to scratch, then who was responsible for it? It’s possible you went with a web design agency who simply weren’t up to the task. If the problem was with content, or lack thereof, that will be more of an internal problem. This is something you’ll have to tackle internally.
As for the web design itself, make sure you go with an agency that has a strong portfolio. Feedback from previous or current clients should be available online, so make sure you track those reviews down. If you’ve got an example of a website that you love, see if you can find out which agency designed it.
Inform your customers
One of the inevitable problems with website redesigns is that you’ll have to take the old one down for a while. This can be extremely unattractive to many business owners for obvious reasons. While the modern adage “a bad website is better than no website” isn’t always true, there could still be advantages to your current website.
If you have any email subscribers, make sure to write them a message about the upcoming downtime. You also need to make sure the message that displays on your website makes it clear what’s going on. Make sure visitors know you’ll be right back with a great new look!
Get your relaunch strategy looking strong
Another problem in this arena is that a website relaunch can mess up your current marketing strategies. Let’s say you have SEO campaigns ongoing. When you change the design of your website, you’re changing the information architecture. Google uses the HTML “bones” of your website it user searches. And if you’re going to be using new servers or a new URL, then you could be jeopardising your marketing if you’re not careful.
You may want to consider working with a digital marketing agency to assist you here. It’s one of the most complex features of a website relaunch and you need to be very careful about it.
Get marketing again
With a brand new website, you should probably consider an exciting new marketing campaign! While your redesign will impress your current customers, you’re going to want a flood of new eyes to test out your efforts thoroughly.
A website redesign is exciting for both your business and your customers. But you need to make the process as smooth as possible to minimise the risk of annoying visitors. Good luck!