Website Re-Design

There are many reasons for redesigning your Website. Some are obvious and some are not so obvious.

Websites date

As with fashion, what was all the rage a couple of years ago is now seen as passé.

Sometimes this is down to design trends, other times it's because the web is maturing and web designers develop a better understanding of what visitors want. For instance, Flash intro pages were all the rage until web designers realised that users didn't like them and wanted to get straight to the content.

Stay ahead of your competition

The web makes it easy for people to find information about your company and services at the click of a button. The down side is that this holds true for your competitors as well.

It's important for your Website to make an impact and stay ahead as visitors usually make up their mind about a site in a few seconds. Your Website needs to out-do your competition or you'll face losing valuable clients. Spend a bit of time looking at your competition; analysing competitor's sites is one of the most important parts of the redesign process. How does your Website compare to theirs? If they are 'better' than yours it's definitely time for a redesign.

The design does not reflect your brand

When people visit your site, they see it as a reflection of your company. If your site looks professional and is full of helpful content they will see you as professional and helpful. Likewise, if the site looks amateur and out-of-date they'll make the same assumptions about you. This is why it's so important for your site to reflect the identity and ideals (brand) of your company.

You want to update the content yourself, to keep your site fresh

One of the best things about using the internet rather than traditional channels is the ability it gives to respond to market changes, new business opportunities or customer requirements. You don't have to wait until your current brochure run is used up before you make changes; you can simply update your site whenever you want. Well that's the theory at least, but how many Websites have you seen where the content looks like it hasn't been changed in months, or even years?

Often this is because the Websites have been built so they can only be updated by the person who designed them. This is fine for some small sites but it really doesn't make the most of the benefits of doing business on the web. If your site's content is stale and out-of-date, it's certainly worth having your site redesigned to enable people in your organisation to update content themselves.

Make the site easier to use

We've all been there before. You've found a Website through a search engine or by following a link on a site. You're after something specific but try as you might you just can't find what you're looking for.

Well here's a news flash: It was not your fault, it's the fault of the Website! First and foremost, a Website should be easy to use and easy to navigate. If you can't find what you're looking for, if the site navigation frustrates you or makes you feel stupid, the Website is not doing it's job.