Make sure your going into a redesign for the right reasons. You need to establish that website redesign is a continuous process, and just as much about functionality as it is design. The first thing you will need to do, along with your designer, is set your redesign goals.
Key Concepts and Statistics
Wrong reasons for redesigning
- “We have a new corporate look and feel.”
- “It’s been 12 months since our last redesign.”
- “The CEO wants to do it.”
Right reasons for redesigning
- “Want to get found by more prospects.”
- “Want to convert more prospects into leads and eventually, customers.”
- “We want to improve branding.” (Only appropriate if oriented around one of the previous reasons.)
Website Redesign Half-Life Chart
Source: Hubspot, Webinar Redesign Strategy, 2010
- The excitement you and your CEO will have from a complete renovation of your website will be short lived.
- Once you have visited your site repeatedly, the excitement of a new website will turn into boredom.
- Complete website renovation is even worse for users.
- Users are accustomed to the constancy of the old website.
- Need time to adjust, causing them more confusion.
Takeaway
Misguided reasons for redesigning your website are driven by the thought that the freshness and “wow factor” of a new website will increase excitement over your brand. The main motivations behind website renovations should be to improve the performance of your website. A beautiful website, although intriguing and aesthetically pleasing, is secondary to a functional traffic and lead generating website.
