Has your business website had the same design since the day it launched? Is your site’s design still all that you had hoped it would be? Perhaps you originally designed your website yourself, but now that you have been in business for a few years, you need something more or better suited to your business needs. You’re not alone.
Often we have one vision of what our website should be when we build it. However, over time we realise maybe the design is not doing all we want it to do. At that point, a website redesign may be the best option to meet your current needs and goals.
It is not uncommon to need a website redesign at some point or even several times over the span of your business’ lifetime. This need for change can be for modernisation, rebranding, ease of use, meeting government regulations, or any combination of these factors. In this article, we will delve into what a website redesign means for you and why it might just be the right decision for your business.
What does a website redesign mean for your business?
A website redesign can be helpful for several reasons. However, it is essential to understand that the redesign alone will not solve all of your concerns. Instead, the redesign should be part of your overall revitalisation strategy.
Consider this scenario. You want to own a racehorse. Just purchasing a horse is not the sole solution. That horse needs training, care, feed, boarding, and more. Buying the horse is only going to get you partway to your goal. The same goes for your website. You want a website, but just setting one up is not going to be the sole solution. It’s going to take a design or even a redesign, maintenance, hosting, backups, marketing and more. Keep this in mind when you’re building your site for the first time, or rebuilding it for the third time. Let’s take a look at 5 important takeaways for what a website redesign could mean for your business.
1) A website redesign allows for target audience changes
If your target audience has changed over time, a website redesign is in order so you can better reach the audience you now intend to. Performing a site analysis is critical to determine if your users’ demographics are changing and what that means to your business, going forward.
Revitalising your site design based on your current and potential consumers is a smart strategy for your brand and your bottom line. Your website is the soul of your marketing program, so you want it to reach your intended customers so your results can continue to improve and your business can continue to grow and thrive. Focusing on improving that first impression and continuing to engage your audience means that continued growth is on the table.
2) A website redesign embraces changing trends
As time passes, design trends change. And while you don’t want to chase trends for the sake of it, you always want your site to be on top of Web Design Belfast trends. We are now in a cycle where what’s old is new again, and retro looks are now fashionable. So adding some retro features to a site but with modern technological advances not only evokes nostalgia for the past, but prepares your site for the future.
The real key is to identify which trends have legs and will be around for awhile versus those that may just barely survive 2021. Spend some time with benchmark data and perform analyses of the competition and the industry as a whole to make educated decisions about where the industry is going.
3) A website redesign allows for business growth
When businesses grow, sometimes change is inevitable in order to keep their site fresh. Perhaps you simply freshen up your site with a more clean design. Streamline some menus and make the site more intuitive. Allow customers to move around your site more freely and enjoy the experience. The needs of your customers and your business ten years ago may need an update to create a new user experience that allows for modern advancements and refreshed branding to pave the way for new growth.
Be sure to set your expectations and your goals before embarking on this journey to redesign your website. Take some time to determine what on your current website does not align with your current goals. Remember, plans can change as your business grows.
Does your site operate based on SEO best practices for the new decade? What are the latest Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) guidelines, and what is Google embracing when ranking websites? Take a good look at the areas of opportunity for your site and build your plan from there.
4) A website redesign allows for technological advancements
Technology changes, and there may be fresh new software, plugins, or even themes that will enhance your site. Technological advances may allow for sites to be more responsive and intuitive for users, allow for more accurate tracking of website metrics and sales-related data, and better protect consumer privacy on your pages.
Google expects websites to keep up with technological advancements. They express this expectation as a site ranking. Keep abreast of these changes to ensure that your site shows up at the top of the search and isn’t being penalised by the algorithm.
Personalisation
Users are beginning to expect a certain level of personalisation in their online experiences. For example, a website redesign could identify the needs of each individual based on previous shopping experiences, page visits, items left in shopping carts, and more. Every person wants to feel unique and as though the business cares about their needs. Personalised enhancements can make that possible.
Voice, Video, Audio
Technology now allows advancements for all users. For example, offering updated options for voice, video, and audio will reach anyone even if they are disabled in a way that didn’t allow them to experience the website previously. Essentially these updates offer the ability to get more users and more potential customers. It also enables users to access your site more independently without relying on others.
Chatbot Features
Suppose you cannot offer “live” chat features on your site, but you can offer a chatbot. A chatbot feature allows users to type (or speak) their questions directly on the website. Answers can appear instantly for commonly asked questions, and for more complex issues, messages can be queued for follow-up by a live team member during business hours.
Additionally, the chatbot can build and increase its body of knowledge for future questions and answers, and collect leads for future sales. As a result, the database of responses and potential questions continues to grow, making your site even more responsive and helpful to users.
Minimalism
We are in a time where less is more. More and more people access websites solely on mobile devices. In these situations, minimal design and responsive elements are crucial to user experience (UX). If your website is cluttered, it can be overwhelming to access all features on a mobile device, and ultimately drive the throngs of mobile users away, never to return. Minimise and simplify is the way to go when redesigning a website.
5) A website redesign allows for the repositioning of the business
Although your business has established branding, perhaps you are looking to reposition your business in the industry. A redesigned website is perfect for helping reach this goal. Provide fresh content to users and possibly even freshen up and revitalise old content. You want customers from competitors to view your business differently. Revitalising and repositioning can help users to take notice. Additionally, it can enhance the relationship with your current users.
