How to Redesign Your Website
Your website simply isn’t generating the traffic you need it to or handling your needs. But how do you fix it? A full website redesign is often the best way to turn that frown upside down, getting your website noticed by the customers you most want and ensuring that you’re able to generate the sales you need. Starting over from scratch means you won’t get trapped by making the same mistakes all over again.
Step One: Define Your Buyer Personas and Target Audience
Knowing your buyer personas is a critical first step in developing a solid website that will meet all of your marketing needs. Take a look at your buyers. What do they need from a website? Ask yourself:
- What information do customers need in order to move forward with buying decisions on your website?
- What do customers want from your website? From a mobile-friendly experience to intuitive navigation, take customer needs into consideration.
- What information is unnecessary to your buyers? What can your website do without allowing you to create a more streamlined experience?
Starting with your customers will allow you to deepen your understanding of exactly what your website needs in order to be successful. When you start with a customer-centered approach, you can substantially improve your ability to reach those customers and engage them appropriately.
Step Two: Define Your Business
What is it that sets your business apart from others in the industry? You aren’t just another business in a string of others who offer the same products and services; rather, there’s something that sets your business apart. Make sure you’ve answered these key questions.
- How do you define your brand? What colors, logos, and specific types of information define your interactions with customers?
- How is your brand different from your competitors?
- What standards does your brand need to meet, from your social media interactions to your website?
Step Three: Check Your Website Performance
Your website is your digital storefront and one of your most effective marketing tools. By checking the performance of your website, you can make sure that it’s meeting your overall goals. If your website is falling short, it’s definitely time for a redesign! Ask:
- What are your key marketing goals? How are you measuring your success?
- Is your current website meeting your goals?
- How do your customers respond to specific types of changes you’ve made in the past, and how can you make more effective changes in the future to meet your marketing goals?
When you look at your current performance, you’ll get an idea of what your website is currently able to accomplish. As you evaluate your website, you’ll discover what changes need to be made and how your website can shift in order to better accommodate your goals.
Step Four: Define Your Website Problems
Typically, if your current website is performing well, you don’t want to dive in with a redesign! Usually, a redesign is brought about by problems. Defining those problems clearly and developing a better understanding of how they have the potential to impact your website will allow you to make your redesign more effective. Make sure you consider these key elements:
- Are customers struggling to complete specific tasks on your website?
- Is your website clunky or missing navigation cues that will help visitors get where they need to be?
- Are you able to bring in an adequate amount of mobile traffic?
- Where is your traffic coming from? That is, are you bringing in customers from search engines, social media, or some other source?
- How many qualified leads visit your website, as opposed to transient traffic?
- Are you able to successfully convert customers from your website, or do customers often disappear halfway through the process?
- Is your website generating the revenue you need?
It’s Time to Start Your Website Redesign
Redesigning your website is a big step. In order to approach the website redesign process with confidence, you need to know how your website is working currently and what changes need to be made as well as what aspects of your current website you’d like to keep. If you’re ready to begin the website redesign process, contact Creative MMS! We’ll work with you to ensure that you get the website you need to meet your goals.
