We get many clients who come to our small business web designers looking for advice on how to improve the way they do business online. As we evaluate their current online presence, we often find that the best solution is a total redesign of their current website.
This can be a frightening prospect for many clients and companies initially. Even though their website has failed to meet the business goals, they usually fear that a redesign will confuse their current clients or customers. What they don’t realize is that making smaller adjustments to their existing site is like adding an extension to a house that is falling apart.
A total redesign is more expensive than a quick fix, but the return on investment makes it more than worthwhile if it means you’ll get intuitive navigation, a well-designed user interface, solid architecture and content features designed to create visitor loyalty.
Too many companies make the mistake of waiting too long to do this. Are you?
At Operation Technology, we start with your analytics. Hopefully you have some!! You don’t need a high-priced analytics tool. Google Analytics is free and easy to install on your site. The only way to really understand how your website is performing is to monitor your metrics carefully and consistently. Look to see if your site visitors are doing what you want them to do: 
- Are your bounce rates high (visitors who come to your home page and then leave without visiting any other page or taking any other action)?
- Are your visitors frustrated by your checkout or registration process? If they abandon forms before completion chances are the frustration level is high.
- Are they coming back to your site after the first visit?
- Have your visitors complained about your website? Worst of all, are they leaving your site and going directly to your competition?
Our team also looks to see if your business needs and requirements have changed. Have you jumped into social media marketing? Maybe integrating a Twitter feed to keep your followers up-to-date on company events or happenings will bring more interaction with past and potential clients. Will you be utilizing pay per click advertising to promote new and or existing products but need to spruce up your product web pages?
By keeping on top of these issues, you can see if your website needs a full redesign or a less drastic fix for isolated issues. A website redesign project that improves the user interface, makes navigation more intuitive, and delivers your core message more clearly can only help you. The last thing you want to do is infuriate your target audience. So make sure you put the task of redesigning your site in the hands of a team that understands both design and architecture.
