The need of the hour is to keep ourselves updated with the latest advances in our technology. Even the slightest of lags in it can cause us sum major unprecedented losses. The trends in design are constantly evolving, and it’s very much evident that design trends in website design are more closely associated to design trends in the marketing and fashion industries. Design geeks sit around looking at each other’s stuff and making comparisons, and in this way, what’s “in-style” advances at a more rapid pace. It won’t be long before our cool redesign is out-dated. A good web design engages customers and initiates conversions. In simple words, it’s an online storefront. So here’s an outline of sum important facts that initiate web-designing:
1. Why redesign?
An obvious question of all but perhaps the most deceivingly complex one . Before we undergo any redesign, it’s always important to understand what exactly we wish to accomplish. Are we unhappy with the way our site functions? Do we simply want a better-looking site? Do we need to improve search engine rankings and sales conversions? Maybe the focus of our business has shifted and it’s high time we switch to some new content. These are all important factors to consider, so before we start, we must make a detailed list of what it is we wish to accomplish during the redesign. This helps us go through the rest of the process and make sure we stay focused on the end result.
2. Type of redesign required?
Now once it is decided why exactly we want to redesign our site, it’s time to decide just how far down the rabbit hole we must go. Perhaps a small change in visuals and content is all that’s essential. On the other hand, we may need to add new features or completely redo our underlying code base. Depending on our needs and budget, a large overhaul may be unnecessary, or it may be the most cost-effective long-term solution, so we must take a moment to think about our needs for going forward and work with our developer to strike a balance that best meets the needs of the moment.
3.Analize present lags in website.
Even if the redesign is too large or comparatively small, chances are fair that there will be some elements of our existing site that works very well and some that don’t work at all. Now is the time to go through your site and isolate these elements. Maybe our content is too verbose or our sales page isn’t that user-friendly. Where-as on the other hand, that photo gallery and the blog may be big-ticket items that do really well for our image and bring in lots of traffic. Some elements certainly must remain (though possibly after a makeover), some will possibly need to be cleaned up and some will have to go. We must try for an analysis where our site is broken down into its key components and then compared with the goals we have decided upon in step one and the overall vision of your web site. Anything that doesn’t fit is out.
4. How exactly is the website finding use among visitors?
Along these same lines, we should never make this mistake of forgetting to take a look at how our users are currently interacting with our site. This will help us identify great content and problematic areas. We must go for a thorough study of our traffic statistics and site analytics for information on things such as entry and exit pages, sales conversions, and search engine keywords. This will help us understand how visitors find our site useful and what they do once they get there. While we are studying those statistics, we must also positively have a look at details like screen resolution and browser usage. This will help our developer ascertain what technical specifications our site should necessarily meet and whether a separate mobile version of your site is recommended presently.
5. Check whether brand or company image has changed.
In case we have undergone changes to our brand and company image, those changes need to be distinctively reflected in our site, even if the only updates are visual. We must always keep your logos updated and consider a color-overhaul incase the corporate image or philosophy has shifted. Our website is always supposed to put forth before the viewer the first impression of our business, so it should grow and always mature right along with the rest of our brand identity.
6. Look for a perfect timing for launch of redesign.
The next major point is when and how we launch our redesign, this can have a huge impact on our traffic and in generating buzz about our new site and our products. Maybe we are simply making improvements and wish to slowly roll out changes over time and unannounced. This unobtrusive rollout won’t give us a lot of buzz, but it will still stand out in accomplishing our goals of improving the site’s performance and the user’s experience in the times to follow. Similarly, we may succeed in drawing a lot of traffic and generate more interest if we can arrange for a big re-launch somewhere around the holidays or during the start of an organized promotion, or when declaring a major change in the manner our business operates. .
7. Make sure the transition looks smoother.
Majority of people out here are a little daunted by change. Incase our site manages to gather a lot of repeat traffic; an unexpected, drastic change in form and function may prove to be slight off-putting to some users. Moreover, we don’t wish this drastic shift to hurt our search engine rankings and suddenly destroy any backlinks we may have collected over the years. We must always try and restore spirited elements of our website similar to their present counterparts, like the main navigation and the header. Now in case the change is dramatic, we must make sure it’s clear and give our users a blog post or news announcement discussing the changes.
Source from: http://www.sibzsolutions.com/blog/why-should-you-redesign-your-website/