Website Redesign: Be Objective and Proactive
Do you need a website re-design? An important question that you may (or may not) have asked yourself lately. If you’re a business owner (or other party responsible for the online presence of a business) and you have an older website it’s fairly easy and common to look at what you have and say, “It’s good enough.”. But is it?
The technology of the internet is changing constantly, we all know that. In the time it took me to write that last sentence, what people want online likely shifted. As a business owner it can seem a daunting task to stay up to date with things. Luckily, it’s not as complicated as it seems. Aside from hiring professionals for a consultation (an act I recommend) you can to some degree determine for yourself how your existing site stacks up.
If you’re reading this now, that means you use the Internet (or more specifically the World Wide Web). This is the first step toward excellence. While browsing your favorite sites, take notice of the things you like about them. The features that really stand out to you. Does your site do those things? It can be very broad things like the overall look and feel (colors, text size/style, readability) or very specific things like a “Contact” button that’s always at the top of the page no matter how you scroll.
The second step is a bit more difficult. For this, try to objectively view your own site as if you were a potential customer. What about the experience would be changed to make it a more positive one? Are your products and information easy to find? Do you have a site search? Is your text easy to read and understand?
Last, go right to the source. Ask your customers what they want. This can be as simple as having a simple feedback request on your Contact form or by using advanced features of a site like Constant Contact to email and poll your existing client base. In the end, their opinion is the most important as the end user. If they like your site as it is, that’s great. If they give you the knowledge on how to make your site better, that’s great too.
If in the end you find that you need a bit of work, Contact a professional and you might be amazed at how quickly your site can be the one everyone is comparing theirs against.
