Website Redesign Updating Guide

It is obvious that websites need continuous maintenance upgrading. Just search around for a few minutes and see the sites that are looking old and outdated. But there are many other reasons to redesign your site.This website redesign guide is really for anyone involved with websites. This web design updating guide will help you redesign a website according to your audience's needs. It is no longer good enough to have a static website. It must get their attention right away, have new information or they are off to your competitors site.

Alou's web design updating guide

WEBSITE REDESIGN TOOLS AND CHECKLISTS

All websites should be in a process of being redesigned or renovated. This guide will give you some simple steps or a checklist to redesigning your website. Once you have completed your checklist review it & see where you can make the changes.
Need help making the changes? Learn more about our maintenance & upgrading.

EVALUATE EXISTING SITE

What are the success and failures of your existing site? Gather a few people to get an honest evaluation of your existing site. Write the successes and the bombs. Then write down your goals for the new site.

BRAINSTORMING

What new and fresh ideas are missing? Brainstorm with a team of people to get fresh ideas. Write down five ideas that came from the brainstorming.

WHY PEOPLE NOW VISIT

Why are people visiting your site? Generally they are coming for information or are in need of your company's product or service but there can be many other reasons. List 4 reasons.

DOES IT GRAB ATTENTION?

Do you think visitors remember your site? Does it have something that gets attention and is memorable? If they do not bookmark your site what will get them back? You should give your visitor something to remember so that he can find his way back to your site. Write one thing that will be remembered about your site.

RESEARCH COMPETITORS

What can I learn from my competitors? Get ideas about the latest web design, technology and communication ideas by looking at your competitors sites. While you are there notice the reasons you would remember their website. Why would you visit theirs again?

TARGET AUDIENCE

Who is the target audience? Decide whom you want to target with the site. Who is your customer or audience? How can they be served? If you were them, what would you be looking for? If you went to search for your website what would you type in the search engines? Ask a few of your friends or colleagues what would they type in the search engines.

THEME AND 'LOOK AND FEEL'

Is your overall theme & mood consistent throughout your website? Decide on the overall theme and "look and feel" of the site. For example: professional, funny, academic, family orientated, technical, etc. Describe the way you want your site to feel to your visitors.

CONTENT

This is the main reason most people come to your site. They come to read your content. It should be clear and well written. A very high percentage of websites are providing poorly written content. It takes a team effort to make a quality web page. Part of the team should be a good writer. Redesigning requires having several outsiders read your content to see if it is clear, up-to-date, accurate and communicates what it is supposed to. Then rewrite the content. Another tip is to provide more than just your company information but provide extra items or bonus features that will attract people to your site. Create an incentive for them to come, either your articles, sale items, free stuff, coupons etc. Content is king!

TRUST AND CREDIBILITY

Why should the visitor trust you? Perhaps you can guarantee your products. Testimonies by reputable people or companies are perhaps the best way to establish creditability. A list of previous customers is helpful. List a person, company or product that can be associated with your site to add trust and credibility.(Always ask for references do not use without their permission)

KEEP SEARCH ENGINES IN MIND

How do I redesign my site and write my text with the search engines in mind? Decide on keywords. This is a new concept that really only applies to redesigning or developing websites. It may not even apply to all websites, but to those who are depending on search engines this is an important point. The concept is to get good rankings on search engines with different keywords. Since many pages on your site can be indexed with a search engine this becomes an important strategy in attracting visitors.

NAVIGATION

Can the visitor find what is needed quickly and easily? A site often outgrows its navigation. A good redesign will fix that. Is the information divided into logical sections? Is old content archived and easy to find?

FRESH NEWS

When redesigning the website build it in ways to keep it fresh, but keep in mind that publishing dates can work against you. Don't create too much extra work for yourself unless you are a workaholic. Adding a date on the page shows it is current but if you do not keep it updated it grows old very fast.

PRODUCT AND SERVICE INFORMATION

Are you making it easy for your customers to do business with you? Can they find what they need quickly? Visitors will not search & search your website. Make it easy, have your main page with easy to find sections. Build a site map.

INTERACTION

Can your visitors exchange information with you? Can they easily get a question answered? This type of interaction is making life easier for everyone. Add a interactive contact form with easy to answer options. Also add a feedback form. Your visitors will tell you what they like & dislike. This can give you many ideas for your website.

SPEED SPEED & MORE SPEED GRAPHICS AND ANIMATION

What needs to be compromised for the sake of speed? When redesigning a site this must be taken into account. It is a very rare exception when the visitor will wait for a site to load. They never wait they just leave. Consider the size of every piece of the site and determine if it can be made smaller or eliminated. Graphics are one of the most speed hogs around. Make sure all of your graphics are optimized for speed and do you really need them? The animated little smiley guy might look cute but he may add 8 seconds to the loading time of your website. This 8 seconds is long enough for a visitor to get fed up & leave.

COMPONENTS

Is the website taking advantage of components like, a discussion forum, poll, survey, guestbook and more? Think about how they can be used to improve your website.

HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO REDESIGN YOUR WEBSITE

Select a team with the right mix of experience and talent.

Your website is your signature.