When Your Web Site Needs a Redesign

Article: When Your Web Site Needs a Redesign
By Julie Friedman Bacchini

You have a web site, but it’s looking its age. The graphics are a bit passé, the content isn’t search engine optimized, you have outdated material cluttering the pages, and you’re not taking advantage of the new web technologies that are available.

You’re ready for a change and excited about the possibilities that will open up for you with a new and improved web site. But where do you begin? Here are some important tips for how to organize your web site redesign project and choose a web provider:

Form Your Team. If your company has more than a few people in it, you will want to set up a specific team to organize your web site redesign. The team members will be responsible for strategizing, contacting potential web developers, approving the new graphic layout, formulating new content, etc. Without a streamlined team, the web redesign process gets bogged down because of the “too many cooks in the kitchen” principle. The team should be unified in purpose, and empowered to act.
Set Your Goals. Take the time to determine what it is you want your web site to do, and what constitutes a successful visit.
Define Your Market. Who are your audience(s)? What is their profile? How do they act? What are their needs?
Examine Your Structure. Look at your current site and determine if the site structure is adequate for what you are trying to do now, or if you need to add new pages and/or sections (perhaps to accommodate expanded service offerings, e-commerce capabilities, a web community, etc.). If you need to add new areas to the web site, make a detailed outline of what should be included in the new site.
Research Your Competition. Don’t skimp on this task! Spend time on your competitors’ websites to determine how much information they provide and how they provide it, what functionalities they offer, and what target audience(s) they are speaking to. Remember: if someone is visiting your web site, chances are they are going to go to your competitors, too. At a minimum, your site needs to be comparable to what your competition is showing to the public.
Identify Your Preferences. It’s often hard to convey to a web developer what you want your site to look like graphically. Take the time to discuss internally the look and feel you want for your site. Then surf the web to find sites that exemplify the various aspects of web design that you want your new site to encompass, i.e., color schemes, functionalities, interactivity, navigation, etc. Be sure to provide this information when the time comes to your web developer.
Set Your Budget. Oh, yes … money. Do yourself and the prospective web developers you speak with a huge favor: have a set, planned, and approved budget for your web site redesign. If you neglect this step, you will end up wasting your time and theirs. You may be afraid that if you state your budget, a provider will automatically tell you the project costs exactly that much. While that may happen with unscrupulous providers, it is not the norm. Most providers have an established rate structure and will be upfront about it with you. Do them the same courtesy in return. If you are talking with a prospective web developer and you like what you are seeing and hearing, bring the budget onto the table and see if they are able to meet your needs.
Simplify Your RFP. If you have an RFP process in place at your company, take this advice: keep it simple. It’s tempting to make the RFP so detailed that you ask for everything up to and including the kitchen sink. In fact, that tends to muddy the waters when comparing RFP responses. Instead, simply set forth the general scope of the project and ask for a general scope in return. Don’t expect web developers to provide you with free advice and consulting. After you accept the proposal, you can then nail down the details in a final contract.
Set Your Schedule. Have a plan and a schedule in place that details who needs to talk to the prospective web developers and when they will do so. Then make the subsequent review and selection process as streamlined as possible so that you proceed steadily toward your goal and don’t get bogged down in company red tape.
Make Your Decision. It’s easy to put off finalizing your decision – after all, you do have a web site, so there’s no rush, right? Wrong! If your web site isn’t competitive in today’s marketplace, you are losing business – every day. So once you have done all the strategy work and have spoken with one or more web developers, sit down, study the facts, and make your decision. It’s time to move forward!

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About the Author:

Julie Friedman Bacchini is President of Neptune Moon Design (www.NeptuneMoon.com), a full-service agency providing businesses and non-profit organizations with custom web designs, web site marketing plans, and strategic search engine optimization (SEO), all designed to build brand recognition, increase site traffic, and generate leads, clients, and revenue. Be sure to visit NeptuneMoon.com to read additional articles that will help you reach your business goals!