There are numerous reasons for deciding to revamp your website. Maybe your brand is looking a touch but crisp or competitor sites are starting to look more attractive than yours.
Analytics may show visitors are bouncing off pages otherwise you need the location to be more visually aligned along with your updated trend. Navigation might have to improve furthermore as on-site SEO.
Add within the must make the user experience (UX) more engaging and memorable and it looks as if an honest idea. that's until you get right down to the tough job of designing the redesign and dealing out how you're visiting execute your ideas.
Here are just some things that would make your project more complicated:
Hard-to-hit deadlines – you'll need your website ASAP but be realistic. Give your designer time to try and do his job properly.
Managing the project – choose an online designer that won’t just do the work but will manage the project too. you may still be involved but mustn't find your resources so overstretched.
Not having the ability to agree – if there are several departments involved likewise as management, attempt to get to a stage where you all agree on what you wish. you can not move forward until a consensus of opinion is reached.
With that taken care of, the aim of this guide is to produce you with all of the mandatory information to enable your project to achieve success. Follow these 10 steps and avoid making the mistakes of others that have gone before you:
1.Know your audience
You need to grasp who you're redesigning your website for.
Look at the forensics obtained from your current website users. try to build a customer avatar i.e. an accurate profile of both your current customer and also the ideal one. What are visitors doing on your website (what pages are visited, how long do they stay, what paths do they follow, etc.?
Do they visit at certain times of the day? try their physical location and device being employed. Now study who you wish to get on your website that isn’t there at the instant. What does one have to do to your site to create sure they find you?
Concentrate on the audience that's essential to your success, whether or not they are totally new clients or old ones that require resurrecting.
2.Set clear goals
Make your goals clear and easy. for instance, a call-to-action on each page makes it easy for visitors to form a choice and speak to you. make sure that you're communicating well, showing off your new offerings or testimonials. take a look at your photography and see if it needs a revamp.
3.Build a sitemap
You don’t have to be a technical whizz to try to do this. Draw a straightforward flow chart or use PowerPoint. It doesn’t matter how you are doing it as long as you and your web designer can know it. have a look at your current site map and choose what needs changing.
Are your current services/products clearly shown? Do all pages have clear headings? Decide if any new pages must be added in or old ones removed.
4.Keep design and content separate
If you combine up the 2, everyone will become confused. Design and content need to work together but are two separate elements. Your web designer will concentrate on the planning and so place the written content created by your copywriter. But both need an in-depth brief.
5.choose a content strategy
Make it easy for your copywriter to figure with you. consider the text for pages, blogs, and any PDF documents which will be available for download. Your web designer will have to be ready to add prime quality pictures, videos, slideshows, and social media feeds.
If you're adding blogs, what number does one need each month? Will you be sending out emails to website subscribers?
6.Set a budget
Be realistic but don’t over-stretch yourself. Ask your web designer to provide you a price for the online design, development, and web hosting. Other costs may involve content writing, SEO, and the collection of images.
Either you or your web designer should be staring at other sites for ideas and deciding what form of functionality you need. Be clear on this before you start talking costs; if you're too vague then you will find your budget out of control anon.
Very importantly, don’t forget to cost in your own time in man-hours as you may become involved within the new project too.
7.transmit asking for Proposal
By sending the identical document to everyone, you must receive back pricing within the same format, enabling you to more easily compare. Remember that you simply get what you buy, so don’t necessarily opt for the bottom price. take a look at previous work, guarantees, testimonials, and reviews.
You can find a way to write an internet site RFP here.
8.Decide who will get entangled
If you're a sole trader, then the most man is going to be you. If you are doing have a team, decide who will do what tasks and delegate so you'll keep the business running.
You will definitely need an in-house project manager who will liaise along with your chosen web designer. they'll answer any questions and supply information, keeping other team members within the loop.
It is their responsibility to induce each section of the project approved and signed off, avoiding costly delays.
9.Its beta testing time
Your website designer should have included time for testing the new site, but you must have a look at testing in-house too. Use the location as a customer would. try functionality and speed.
Does it look how you expected?
Make sure it's viewable on mobile and desktop. the planning must be 100% responsive, ready to be viewed on any size of the screen. Test such things as outbound and inbound links which images and text are within the right place.
When you fill in an exceedingly form submission, does it work?
Also, be sure that each one social media is linked to the new website.
Your designer also will perform A/B testing, creating two versions of a page, design, or advert and seeing which converts more powerfully.
10.Launch time
Before going live, arm yourself with a marketing plan. settle on how you'll advertise the new site. Going forward, how often will marketing material like blogs be added? Who will do the posting?
Get all new content carefully proofread as even small errors can spoil your image.
After launch, measure success. Keep track of the performance of the new site, checking that it's working as you expected.
Summary
Getting your new company website redesign should never be rushed. Make your motto one among getting it right the primary time.
As one of your key marketing tools, it'll need taking care of so as to remain relevant.
Don’t just tumble out there so sit back and think that it’s done.
Good website marketing never stops but by doing it the proper way, the price of your website redesign will quite acquire itself.
