It’s been a few years since anyone touched your website, and your boss is getting antsy.
Whichever of those phrases sounds most like your boss, if your company is thinking about a website redesign, you’ve probably heard something along those lines in the past few weeks. And I’m betting the thought process in the office is something similar to, “If we could just update our website, we’d be doing a lot better. All of our problems would be solved, we’d have way more clients, and we’d totally beat out the competition.”
And while the Evenbound team is a huge fan of badass website design, the fact is that one more website redesign just isn’t going to solve your problems. Here’s why:
No matter how you dress it up, if your website isn’t built to perform, it’s not going to deliver more results. Sure, getting input from a qualified designer will make your site look better and improve user experience, but you have to have some sort of foundation in place to actually draw in and convert leads if you want to improve your market position, convert more of the right leads, and grow sales.
A website redesign — on its own — isn’t going to accomplish any of those things. It’s just going to create a better-looking version of the foundation you already have. A website redesign without a marketing plan is just wasted money.
On average, you can plan to spend at least 10k on a website redesign project. And if this isn’t your first website redesign, you probably already have.
If your answers to those questions are something like — a lot, not sure, and I don’t know — then you know firsthand the pain that comes from redesigning a website without a marketing plan. Sure, your website looks better, but is it actually performing better? Converting more leads? Generating more sales?
That’s where a solid marketing strategy comes in. Contrary to the impression I might have given so far, we are actually really big fans of website redesigns. The problem is that we see so many companies tackling redesign after redesign, without seeing any results. So how do you avoid that? Here are some tips and tricks to starting a website redesign that will actually work to deliver the results you’re looking for. It starts with a good reason for redesigning.
At the very beginning of this blog, I mentioned a few phrases you’re probably hearing around the office about your website — “it just looks old”, “[competitor] has a much better looking site”, and my personal favorite “we want our site to look like Apple’s”. These are all terrible reasons to redesign your website, and are quick ways to spend 10k that you never see again. So, what is a good reason to redesign your website? Here are three:
If your website can’t do basic things like respond to smaller screen sizes, collect lead information, connect to your CRM, or integrate with features like chatbots and forms, it’s definitely time for a website redesign. Just remember that you need to be looking for a provider who will do more than just improve the design. You’re also going to need help increasing the overall functionality of the website.
Let’s say you manufacture small components to sell to OEMs. If your website is written to speak to direct consumers, your site is not aligned with what you do, and who you’re selling to. It’s time for a website redesign. Your website should speak directly to your ideal customer, addressing their pain points and answering their frequently asked questions.
If your website plain old doesn’t work for your team, then it’s definitely time for a redesign. You should be able to make changes and updates to your site as needed, and it should be simple to create and post content. If it’s not, or if you need a developer’s help every time you want to post a blog, it’s likely time for a redesign.
No matter the reason you’re planning a website redesign, it’s most important to remember that the design shouldn’t be your only goal. While design matters — trust us, website design really matters — it’s important to ensure that the design work you’re having done is guided by some larger marketing strategy.
Let’s talk about some of the ways you can make sure your website redesign project is successful in creating a website that is functional, and that’s working to support your company by improving your market position, generating more leads, and helping you grow sales.
The whole point of this blog is to help you start making improvements to your website that actually deliver results. Here are a few tips that can help you start and finish a website redesign project that meets or exceeds your goals.
Your IT department is an amazing team of great people, but they are not your website redesign team. We’ve written a lot about what a bad website project looks like, and having your IT team build your website is the first and most egregious crime you can commit. Let your IT team do what they’re great at, and turn your website redesign project over to an experienced marketing and web design team that can build a website that works, and that your IT team is happy with, too.
Building off that last point — it’s important to consult with a qualified marketing team before you start any website redesign project. A marketing team has the experience to marry your design wants with the functionality needs that will make your new website a true lead generation workhorse for your company. While a branding agency can make your site look great, a marketing agency has the technical knowledge to make sure it works as well as it looks.
It’s too easy to treat a website redesign as a simple, backburner project that you don’t have to think about — don’t fall into that trap. Even if you’re just giving your website a “little refresh”, make sure you have a team dedicated to keeping the project on-schedule and in scope.
If you’re planning to have this project handled by another team (like that marketing team we just mentioned) look for an agency that will assign a dedicated project manager to your website redesign, and who will keep you updated with regular check-ins regarding the status of your project.
Website redesigns are notoriously slow. Any team you hire is going to have to first sort out what they’re working with, untangle any messes from the last time your site was updated, and then build off of all of that with their new plan. That whole website design process takes time and more than a little organization. Make sure you’re choosing a website redesign provider who can keep it all on track.
Finally, I’d like to address the biggest misconception we run into with website redesign projects. Even right after you launch the redesign. Even once your CRM and your website are totally integrated and working perfectly. Your website is always a work in progress. You might add content later on. You might build out more in-depth service pages. You might develop new pillar pages, landing pages, contact forms, and more.
The point of your website redesign is to give you a fresh, optimized platform to work off of. Embracing the mentality of continuous improvement is the key to a successful website redesign project.
Here at Evenbound, we’ve seen too many clients come to us burned out by website redesign after redesign that cost money, but don’t deliver results. That doesn’t have to be you! Take some of these suggestions to heart, and if you plan to redesign your website, make sure you’re starting that project with some serious goal-setting and a marketing plan to back it up. Website redesigns — done right — can deliver the leads, sales, and market position you’re looking for. You just have to find the right team to tackle it for you.
If you’re considering a website redesign for your company, the Evenbound team would love to help. Delivering serious results is what we do. Get in touch with us!
