At some point or other almost all business owners will recognise the need to update their website.  If that time has arrived for you there are many things to take into account concerning the look and feel of your new website.  We list below some tips to help you on your way:

There are 3 main redesign steps you need to consider:

• set goals and specific objectives for your new website
• plan the site changes needed to achieve your goals
• launch and promote the updated site.

1. Goals & Objectives. First of all, you should have clear and specific objectives for your new website and know exactly what you want to achieve from it.  The main task is to define why your present website is not working for you.  What is missing? Our strong recommendation for all website re-designs is to ensure that your new website is designed with your target audience in mind. In our experience most websites have been designed to appeal to the owner of the business – but this may not appeal to your target audience!  Make sure your new design is guided by your site audience’s needs.

If you think that the main issue with your current website is that it looks old-fashioned and outdated take a look at the designs being used by your key online competitors.  What colours are they using?  What does their navigation look like?  Do they have link buttons to their social media profiles?

A complete website site redesign is a fairly lengthy process and should only be done if it has to be.  If you can freshen up your existing website by adding a ‘new skin’ to it you may be able to avoid a complete re-work of the website.  If, however, your website lacks the functionality you need in order to achieve your online objectives then a new website is definitely the way to go.

 2. Plan Necessary Changes

You need to consider the changes that you need to make in order to achieve your objectives. Guided by your goals you can:

• outline the desired website layout
• determine the information (page) structure
• Specify the changes required in changes in site content
• Identify Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media  initiatives that will be required.

Once you have a formal plan in place it will be easier for other people involved in the new website project to fully understand what is required in order for them to do their job correctly and efficiently to your satisfaction.

Tomorrow we will cover further website redesign considerations.  Make sure you call back then or visit WSI IMS – WSI Digital Marketing in  Surrey, Sussex, Kent & the South East of England.