Redesigning your website can be one of the biggest challenges you face when marketing your business. But it can also be one of the best opportunities to review your site.
You may be tired of the look and feel of your site, but redesigning it should be much more than that. It’s the perfect time to see your site through the eyes of your ideal client.
Are you directing them in a clear way or do they get confused when they come to your site?
When you ask the right questions from the get-go, you can save time, frustration and dollars in the long run. Let’s take a look at the top five questions you should ask.
1. What is the goal of the website?
Before starting the redesign process, be clear about what you wan the website to achieve. Do you want people to buy products? Fill out an application? Subscribe to an newsletter? Sign up for a freebie and get them on your email list?
The more clear you are about the action you want your visitors to take, the easier it will to guide your visitor through your site. This will result in them staying longer on your site (lower bounce rate) and increase the likelihood they will buy something.
2. What is and is not working with the current site?
You may want to keep some things on your site and get rid of others. You may need to reword content, or explain it better. Check your Google Analytics to see which pages are getting the most action. Data doesn’t lie.
You might ask your clients or customers what they think of your site. Especially ask them if it’s easy to navigate. If you have an e-commerce site, ask them if they are having any difficulties purchasing items (you may already know this). If you have an informational site, ask them if the content is wording so they understand it. It’s so important that you are clear when communicating with your audience.
3. What are your “must haves” vs. “nice to haves”?
When redesigning your site, it’s so easy to add things that distract your visitors. There may be things you’ve seen on other sites that you love, but do they fit with your theme?
You might want all the bells and whistles on your site, but how well does it serve your audience? Can you get your message across with less money and hassle? Keeping things simple, in my opinion, is always the best option. After all, if you blow your audience out of the water by making things complex or speaking over their heads, you’ve lost them.
This is hard for business owners who want everything right now, but this is why I love WordPress. It flexes with your business. Start out with the basics and then as your business grows, your website can evolve right along with it.
Your site will never be done, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that it will be. Plan to make ongoing changes and optimizations based on user feedback and interaction down the road.
4. Am I currently using a content-management system (CMS)?
WordPress is a very popular CMS, with nearly 1/3 of websites using it. They allow you to easily update your website content without knowing how to code (so you don’t have to rely completely on a developer).
When I first starting developing websites, this was one of the biggest complaints I heard. Website owners didn’t want to have to contact their designer, wait to be fit into their schedule, then pay what they felt was an exorbitant fee just to change a word or two. I like to empower my clients to make these changes themselves. I can do the heavy lifting, but they can update content, including images, as it needs to be updated. You’re much more likely to update your site is you have control over it, don’t you think?
5. Is your site mobile friendly?
More than half of websites are accessed via a smart phone, so it is essential that your site adjusts to whatever size device your visitors are viewing it on.
If your site isn’t mobile friendly now, there is no better time to do so than when redesigning it. Google ranks sites higher that are mobile friendly, so it makes sense to meet that requirement at this time.
Is it time for you to think about redesigning your website? I hope these questions helped you prepare to do so.
Leave a Reply