Website redesign conjures images of horror. The sheer terror of taking down an existing site, retooling it completely and putting it back up without missing a beat is enough to get the majority of business owners to leave “good enough” alone. Unfortunately, the internet is an ever evolving place and website designs of the past won’t cut it as search algorithms change and consumers increasingly access the web via mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
The process of website development takes into account these landscape sea-changes and the more modern a website design is, the better it will fare in search and functionality. What’s more, redesign incorporates the latest in an increasingly tech-savvy audience. The average visitor might not be intimately familiar with HTML, CSS, jQuery, LAMP and all the industry jargon but fully expect every site they visit to be fully viewable and functional regardless of how they access the web.
Why Redesign Your Site
There are a number of reasons to redesign a website. For instance, if your current internet property is centered almost entirely or even 30 percent around flash web design, then your site is little more than a hole in the web–flash is invisible to search engines. If your site is more than three to five years old, chances are excellent its load time is slow, increasing bounce rate and decreasing conversions.
Perhaps your business or industry has undergone changes which aren’t reflected on your existing site. Or maybe your company has grown but your site is behind the times.
…you may want to consider [redesigning] if you rely on your web site to provide a timely or even a cutting edge impression. For example, if your business revolves around technology, a three-year-old web site could harm your intent to be seen as an innovator. Again, it’s a good idea to thoroughly understand who you are as a business and make the changes necessary so your site reflects that to your customers. –Inside Indiana Business
Other reasons companies choose to update their site because they need new elements put in place. Some businesses have increasing cause to utilize an ecommerce website design, a chat feature is becoming necessary, or their needs to be greater integration with social media. And there are businesses who’ve largely moved away from a brick and mortar whose current sites don’t support their transition.
Choosing a NewCustom Web Site Design
The first task once it’s decided to redesign is to find the right website design company. In this quest, its very important to understand some key facts about web site designers from team to team.
To that end, your company ought to be aware that just because an individual or firm calls itself a website design entity, doesn’t mean they are actually designers, or they are qualified in all aspects of redesign to bridge the needs between a business and the search engines. Here are a few things to think about when choosing a person or team to redesign your business’ website:
- Graphic designers aren’t necessarily website designers. Sure, a graphic designer can create a pretty website. But so can a draftsman can pencil home elevations. In other words, while a draftsman can “draw” plans for a home, they are not architects, hence, they don’t factor in things like building codes, intended use, electrical and plumbing loads, and all the other aspects that go into actually designing a home to be safely and comfortably habitable.
- SEO teams which offer site design often outsource redesign projects. While SEOs certainly know how to up a web property’s organic search rank, they likely have little to no knowledge of coding, architecture, content strategies, and many other aspects that comprise the behind the scenes stuff which make a site functional, intuitive, interactive, and compelling.
- You get what you pay for. Okay, it’s cliche, but it’s also a truism. If you choose the cheap route, you’ll get “good enough”. What you won’t get is any significant change from before. While the site might look completely different, chances are quite high it will be a type of copy-and-paste job, not a real site redesign.
- DYI templates are rife with problems. Perhaps you’re savvy enough to work with a template. And you’re thinking about customizing something that’s readily available. Even if you pay a good chunk of change for a template doesn’t mean it won’t be stuffed with base64 code–and that will be a big problem.
If you’re looking for professional web design to reinvent your cyber property, then contact us. We can redesign your site to make it pop and support a number of functionalities.
