A website redesign is an exciting time for a business and a great opportunity to be creative and shine for a marketing agency.
You have the chance to provide your clients with a competitive advantage, with an upgraded web presence that drives leads, attracts visitors and allows the brand to grow digitally.
There are many design principles that can and should be applied to a website redesign. Brochure websites don’t work anymore and elements past “visual appeal” should be applied in order for your clients to get the most out of their new website.
That said, you should never ever skip the following elements of a website redesign.
A strategic plan
The more researched and strategic your website design, the better it will work for your client. Research and compare using competitors and analytics and then define a purpose for your clients website. Define that purpose with goals for both the short and long term. Then start with designing a functional website before adding in the visual appeal. You need to be able to tell your client why you sectioned the website the way you did and why you chose each element, that knowledge is supported in your strategic plan.
User experience design
A website that is functional, visual and useable is essential. Navigation should be simple and easy to follow. CTA’s should be used to help guide users naturally through your website. Anything complicated or difficult, will lead to visitor fall-off. In the user experience design phase consider your buyer personas, your wireframe (website storyboard), your flows and navigation elements and your content inventory. How can you design the website so that these elements work best for the user.
SEO research and implementation
SEO needs to be at the centre of your website redesign strategy. What is the point of a new website if a business isn’t ranking on Google? Do keyword research, understand the steps to on and off page SEO and your clients organic traffic will grow and so too will their lead opportunities.
Responsive website designs
Statistics unanimously show that most websites are now visited from a mobile device and that number just continues to grow. A mobile optimized website is essential for your brand to be able to succeed digitally. It should be a major focus for you, when designing and developing a new website for your clients. UX is especially important when considering the mobile design for a new website.
The right partnership
There are elements of a website build, as you know, that may require the help of a outsource web development company. Perhaps that’s CSS coding to manipulate certain themes to better represent your brand or help with the mobile build or even e-commerce deployment. Choose a web developer that meets your needs both in timeline, dedication and budget. The working relationship between the two companies will directly affect the success of your client's website redesign.
If your client is going to invest in a new website redesign, you can’t miss the above touch points. Your digital business objectives are easily achievable with the right web team and the right strategy. Once you have these items, now you need to focus on completing that website on time and on budget.
At Computan we specialize in providing technical solutions for marketers, we’ve supported hundreds of teams in the back-end development of their clients websites. With that experience, we’ve compiled an incredible resource for marketers: How to optimize your website build. Visit the link below to access your copy!
