Recently, I gave a talk at a small business networking group about website redesign. An informal survey of the room revealed that 89% of the group had websites. 85% of the companies in the room had websites had been in existence for more than 2 years. Only 11% had ever undergone a redesign process. Reasons given that the companies had websites included: marketing, an online storefront, information, and web presence.
Sometimes your site may only need an update, involving minor changes, this is different than a redesign. I have worked on some websites that have become “Frankensites”, which would benefit from a redesign. Typically, a Frankensite is one that has more and more unplanned functionality added to it, rather than rebuilding from scratch. Often, it is a small business, where the owner doesn’t have the time or doesn’t want to spend the money to build a new site.
So how do you know if it is time for a website redesign?
Start by taking a good look at your site. Is the look still current or does it feel outdated? Changes in technology create opportunities to use new tools in your design. Also, even if you are a small company, your website is being compared to larger companies in terms of web design. The average viewer has become increasingly more sophisticated. Has functionality been added piecemeal? Do you wish that pages on the site were set up differently? Definite signs that a redesign is imminent.
Is your message coming across clearly on your website? If people don’t understand the services you offer, or if every pages seems the same, you can benefit from new copy. Update your site with specials and new content to keep it fresh. Using a content management system (CMS), will allow you to easily do your own updates, whether you are using WordPress, Movable Type, Joomla, or Drupal. If your site is built in html and you would like to do your own update without learning html coding, then consider a redesign that ports your site over to one of the previously mentioned CMS systems.
What do the analytics say? If you are using a tool, such as Google Analytics, you can gather information about visits to your site, which pages are visited, and how long visitors stay on the site, plus much more. If the analytics show that visitors come to your site and leave very quickly, your site may lack eye appeal or may be coming up inappropriately in a web search.
Your website is a tool that can fill many purposes. A good website should help you sell your business and generate leads. But remember, just having a website is not enough. You also need to set aside time for online marketing, too.
Need a site review or Google analytics added to your site? Screen Caffeen can help. Contact us.
