When to Re-Design Your Website
Websites aren’t meant to remain static forever. Just as the internet and the devices we use to access it are continually evolving, your website should be as well. It is essential to periodically evaluate your site to make sure it is still serving its purpose as well as possible, which usually means attracting traffic and driving business. Small business websites need to remain current and relevant in order to continue drawing in customers. Entertainment and informational sites need to stay ahead of the curve to compete with the intense competition for the time of internet surfers. Whether you have a simple website or have had a custom website created by a professional website developer, ensuring it continues to ride the cutting edge will be crucial to your success.
There are many reasons that you may want to look at re-designing your existing website. Maybe it has become dated, either because of the way it looks or because the information provided is no longer accurate. Has it become unresponsive? Website design has changed considerably over the years and sometimes older sites no longer perform well with current browsers. The devices we use to access the internet are frequently changing and improving, and it’s possible that your site no longer meshes well with all of them. There are some simple tests you can use to determine if your site is still mobile-friendly. How easy is it to navigate your site? If performance has deteriorated, or maybe the amount of content has increased, or if your site has become difficult to navigate people won’t stay long. Any time there have been major changes to your business model, company structure or mission statement it pays to re-evaluate your site to make sure it still portrays the goals of your business.
Once you have reviewed your site in detail, or had a website developer do it for you, and have come to the conclusion that a change in your website design is needed, there are numerous things you need to consider. First of all, you need to make sure everyone is on board. Partners, employees, and boards all need to be consulted before you make any drastic changes to a website that, presumably, everyone is familiar with.
Next up, outline the changes you want to make. It is important to have at least a rough idea of what type of overhaul you have in mind before discussing the possibilities with a website designer. The clearer the picture you provide for them, the more specific they can be with regard to timelines, cost estimates and potential results.
Finally, you need to get the timing right. If the reason for the re-design is because changes are taking place in your business, you need to make sure the website revisions line up with the timing of those changes. You also want to time the adjustments to minimize any downtime for the site, and make sure the changes take place at a convenient spot in your business cycle.
Ultimately, it is important to think of your website like a living entity. It needs regular maintenance to make sure it continues to grow and change along with your business. You don’t want to leave it to chance, so make sure you choose the best professional web design service for the job.
