Website design is both an art and a science, relying on keen artistic and visual sensibilities as well as information about how visitors use the Internet, what draws the eye, and the most effective placement of key links and features.
If you need to freshen up a tired site, there’s always the temptation to redesign, recreate, and renew… but a complete overhaul may not be worth the time and cost investment. How do you know whether the time is right for a redesign, or if your site would be better served by tweaking your SEO strategies or making other types of improvements?
The Drive of Competition
What’s your competition up to? If they have more usable, streamlined websites that offer more powerful functionality, it’s probably a good idea to step up your game to match or surpass them.
New Technology
In this advanced multimedia age, it’s important for any online business to keep up with relevant technology. That means staying abreast of the latest web tools and features that could help boost traffic and revenue. If your competition isn’t very web-savvy, then you may have the upper hand right now, but it probably won’t stay that way forever. As new online resources become available, introduce them into your current design and test their effectiveness.
Below are some of today’s hottest online strategies that you might want to consider implementing now:
- Social media linking, e.g. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
- Subscription to your e-newsletter or RSS feed
- Embedded video of your company profile or glowing customer testimonials
- Live chat functionality
Resistance to Change
It’s important to recognize that even though you might be delighted by the idea of a brand-new website design, your loyal readership might not. Most people are initially resistant to any change that’s outside their control, and web redesigns are not usually welcomed with open arms by the people who use those sites often.
Do you depend on a regular customer base? If so, it might be worth asking their opinion on prospective redesigns before you implement big changes. That way, your target audience will feel more involved in the process and less irritated when the site’s look and feel is altered.
Nobody can tell you definitively whether a redesign is in your best interests, but by carefully weighing these factors, you’ll be more likely to make an informed and prudent decision.