While it is great to have a website with a tried and true color scheme, it
is also important to regularly check out the design of your website and
re-design certain parts of it. This is because over time things get added
to websites that might make the original design less manageable and
therefore you need to be regularly checking out your website to make sure
that the design suits it well.
Looking for specific reasons for your website to get re-designed? Okay, here are a few!
Turning over a new leaf: When people come to your website, they are looking for something new and exciting; something to keep them coming back. Re-designing your website gives you a chance to create this new something for them.
Maintain visitors: It has been shown through studies that the average user will decide within seconds of visiting a website whether or not they want to stay. This gives
you precious little time to make an impression and a good re-design will do just that.
Increase Efficiency: If you have been adding information to your site for a long time without are-design, chances are there are redundancies built into the system that could make finding some information difficult; a re-design would solve that problem.
Adding new things: Interactive elements that were not around when your website was first created could be integrated now and increase the experience that users will
get.
Better results: If you add things to your website that allow it to do a better job of
finding and keeping customers for you, then you will ultimately have a better bottom line. A re-design could certainly accomplish all of those tasks.
With any redesign it is a great time to do a little rethinking. Looking at the current site a question needs to be asked. What is it that people want when coming to my site? By understanding what it is people are looking for from your site you will be able to better position that information within the architecture of the entire site.
Judging by the Cover
The old adage “Never judge a book by its cover” doesn’t apply to your website. Users to your site make quick and often harsh judgment calls within seconds of viewing your homepage. By making outstanding first impression with a crisp, clean, professional look the user gets a sense of trust from the company behind the site.
Follow the Leader
Your site could have the exact information a specific user is looking for. However, if it takes too long for them to locate it chances are they will go somewhere else to find the information. By making your site as user friendly as possible you will be able to guide the user to specific areas of content. Bringing content that is hidden under multiple clicks to the forefront makes it easy for a user to locate. As well as, leads the user to other areas of your site that they might not have known about.
New Experience
New features can dramatically improve the user experience. Online calendars that allow a user to register for events are a perfect example of how a simple feature increases the value of a site. No longer does the user have to call or mail in an RSVP card. As such, the company doesn’t need a person to answer the phone for every registration.
Cheapest Employee
Your website could be your cheapest employee. It has already been mentioned that your site could make your day-to-day tasks a thing of the past. By adding features to your site that help educate your user base, enhance marketing efforts, as well as, develop a sense of who your users are you are in reality making your site work harder for you. The simple fact is that you have a site. Why not make it work harder and do more for you and your company? An offshoot of adding features like this is that your users have more interaction with your site and your company.
Your Future Customers
The whole goal of a redesign is to create a better experience for your users. Maybe it is a new look, a revised navigation scheme, or a complete overhaul. Whatever the outcome, your site should reflect the company behind the site and insure a sense of trust with you future customers.
