Time for an upgrade?
When was the last time you revamped your company’s website? A year ago? Five years ago?
Your website is an important part of your brand, and chances are if your website looks outdated, consumers will view your company in the same light. Conversely, a top-notch website will encourage consumers to further explore your company. To put it plainly, consumers will either be impressed with your website, or they will be unimpressed. Of course, you want to strive to impress every time!
Redesigning a website can be intimidating. It involves a lot of time and in some cases, money. Here, we explore some ways to ensure that you come out with a website you are 100% satisfied with.
Source a good web developer. You might want to team up with the web developer that created your initial site or last version, or you might want to source a new developer. If you plan to team up with your existing developer, make sure he or she can meet the criteria you have outlined for your new site. If you are sourcing a new developer, make sure he or she is a match for your project. Be sure to check that the quote for a redesign includes search engine optimization (SEO), which is one of the most important aspects of being able to be found online.
Make a list. If you have a constant running list of things you want to change about your website in your head, write it down! Then, think of ways you can improve or replace each item on the list.
Be vocal. Your web developer cannot read your mind! If you find elements of other website you like, be sure to bookmark them and show them to the designer.
Take a good, hard look at your content. If there is anything at all you don’t like about your website, now is the time to edit. Make sure to do a thorough check for grammar, punctuation and usage errors.
Be realistic about your timeline. Website redesign can be a lengthy process, and it may be helpful to set time-sensitive goals to keep the project on track.
Consider hiring a project manager. A web developer may not necessarily be as skilled in copywriting and editing as a marketing professional is, just as a marketing professional most likely is not as skilled in writing HTML code as a web developer is. Hiring a web developer + project manager team may make the project easier to manage and much less stressful.
A top-notch website is one of the most effective ways to market your business, so take advantage of it! Sticking to your goals, making specific lists and choosing areas of focus will help you complete the project in a timely and efficient manner.
