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Time to Redesign Your Site?

If you are thinking about redesigning your company's website you already understand the value of a having a web presence for your business or organization. As you face the daunting task of a redesign, you likely have many questions.

"Where do I start?"
"Do I put this project out to tender?"
"If I do put it out to tender, what am I after?"

These questions serve to remind you of your out-to-date site with out-of date price lists and contact information. You might shudder at that logo your office assistant's brother-in-law designed. Not to worry. You are embarking on a journey of evolution and improvement for your company. But where do you begin?

First you will need to accept that hiring an interactive agency is the best way to achieve results that will propel your business forward for the next three years. Even though the thought of additional expenditure concerns you, you know that it's wise to invest a little more today to be completely satisfied with the product rather than short-change the project and end up with disappointing results.

I have put together this "laundry list" of questions to ask when approaching an agency to discuss your web redesign project.

Here is a list of key points to discuss when meeting with an agency regarding your web redesign

Combine a team of valued staff and your best customers and get them on-board with your new and exciting project! A team is always better than just one mind!
Set a goal for what you want the website to achieve for your company. This will act as a touchstone throughout the redesign.

Evaluate your existing site (and previous ones)

What are the successes and failures of your existing site?
What value does your current site have for your clients?
How easy is it to maintain?
Which sections require regular in-house maintenance?
What sections are filler?
How easy is it to navigate?
Does it generate leads?
Is it improving communications with our clients?

Who is your online competition?
It's important to keep in mind that your competition is transparent with a website . and you can learn from your competitors. You can come up with strategic advantages.

See what you like about their sites and what you don't.
What do you see that they are doing right?
What do you believe they are doing wrong?

Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Brainstorm.
Now that you have seen your competition and have evaluated what are they doing right and wrong, you need to brainstorm some important questions.

Where is your opportunity?
What new and fresh ideas are missing?
With a team of dedicated staff and your best customer, turn these questions in every direction to produce a wealth of fresh ideas.

Is your site engaging?

Do you think visitors remember your site?
Does it have something that gets attention and is memorable?
If a viewer does not bookmark your site, what will compel him/her to return?
It's important to give your visitor something to remember so that s/he can find a way to return to your site.
Determine what this one thing will be and write it down.

Who is your best customer?
You know who this is. The ones who you enjoy working with. The ones who pay on time. Get into their minds and come to an understanding of what they would want to see in your new website.

What are their primary needs?
What are their primary goals with your service in mind?
How will your product benefit them?
Remember, your best customer, not your top three, but your best.

The "Look and Feel"
You have surfed the web and have seen a lot of sites that appeal to you. Select the top five sites and take notes on what you appreciate most about them as a user.

Content is still "King". that is Fresh content
We are in an age of research. The latest stats are that 8 of 10 major purchases are researched online prior to the final sale. Your website is now part of the buying cycle. So your content will need to be written with this in mind.

You don't need to write the content for your website
Compile brochures (yours and your competitions) and other material
Give this to a copywriter and with your guidance they will create a copy that will flow effortlessly and extend your company online.

One last bit of advice: keep the content current whether it is price lists, newsletters, or events.

Search is the deciding factor
The search industry is incredibly hot in today's online economy because this is the number 1 way to drive traffic to your site.

Make a list of keywords and phrases that your customers would use when describing your company.
Bring these to your development agency.
If they know what they are doing, they will use this information to your advantage.

Your past website statistics
Website statistic servers collect incredible amounts of important data for you to analyze. It can tell you how many visitors you have had, what pages were viewed the most, where people were exiting. In short, all sorts of great information that will be of value. The agency that you decide to work with will need this information, so make sure that your current provider is tracking this.

Can your customers do business with you?

What if an online customer wants a quote?
What if they want to inquire about a particular service?
Can they?
Don't forget that your website is now open for service 24/7 and you will need to make it easy for your potential customers to contact you.

Speed
With the advent of broad-band internet, faster computers, and better users concerns about speed are a thing of the past. However, if slow load time is a problem for your site you either have some extremely large files displayed on your site, really poor code, or an extremely slow web server.

One final step.

Once you have collected all this information you will then need to find an agency to work with. Have a look through our site and you will come to an understanding of what an interactive agency is all about. You might even want to give us a call. If so, go for it. We'll be happy to discuss your project with you. In any case, you will want to hire a successful company that has delivered the results you need and want.

By the way, make sure that you have fun with this.

Best Regards,

Christian Clapton - CEO
Information Architect
WEBTECH INC