If the website you own manage is not meeting expectations, it is time to consider engaging in the comprehensive redesign process. While the notion of undertaking a project of this magnitude can seem overwhelming, doing some benchmarking and research, reviewing website analytics and performance metrics, and aligning that information with your objectives w make the redesign process much less cumbersome and result in a more polished, more effective final product.
While it's not uncommon to grow tired of how a website more logical reason take on the project is that the site is not meeting its objectives. The number or amount of sales and leads generated is a solid indicator of performance but there are others.
Is time spent on site noticeably low?
This might be an indication that the wrong visual impression is being given to users.
Are you receiving feedback about users' inability to locate specific content items?
A website's user-friendliness is a catalyst for overall performance so inaccessibility also a logical reason to take on a website redesign. Search engine friendliness (more on that later) is also a common reason for redesigning a website and is frequently the reason most sites start the process at all.
A formal redesign process will include a sufficient amount of audience research, taking into account an organization's on-site marketing objectives, developing a wireframe, and establishing a fixed framework from which design elements can be applied and implemented in the future.
Audience Research and Benchmarking
While website analytics can tell us a great deal about how a site is performing now (and where improvements can be made), it often falls short when it comes to acquiring qualitative (not quantitative) data the information that machines alone can't pick up on. Human-powered solutions like Amazon's Mechanical Turk can help gather actionable insights into users' visual impressions of a website, the accessibility of any particular content item, or any other defined criteria. Survey software solutions are also valuable resources for acquiring existing user opinions about possible site improvements.
Take it a further by leveraging services like uTest, a company providing professional-level software in services to identify what is working and what is not, in relation to your Web, mobile or desktop applications.
Formalizing Marketing Objectives
the website might be the face of your brand online but it is also the marketing engine. Getting a handle on what you and others within your enterprise expect from the site will aid in charting a course toward creating a final product that meets the needs of everyone and everything including the bottom line. For example, conducting interviews with the sales and customer service departments might reveal the need for easier access to pricing or support information.
The business development team could request that contact and lead forms be prominent throughout the site and connected directly to a CRM platform.
Discussions with C-level executives might reveal that press kits, investor information and founder biographies are essential. As you can see, there are many marketing objectives so taking all of them into account at the outset will ensure final product everyone is excited to support.
There are also some important considerations to make related to search engine optimization (SEO) that must be addressed during a formal website redesign. For many companies, SEO tends to be an afterthought and not included in the initial planning stages of a website redesign. At the very least, one should consider implementing a prioritized site architecture and a focus on ease of navigation.
Making sure that: pages receiving traffic are placed higher to the root URL in your site hierarchy a sufficient number of pages are cross- or inter-linked top-level pages and pages aggressively being optimized are focused on conversion navigational menus for users are visible to search engines through CSS or by having a text-based navigation menu in the footer of the page and on a sitemap the use of 301 redirects (should the structure of a site change dramatically) is managed and monitored closely.
Doing the Redesign
Before handing over audience research and marketing objectives important to take into account whether this is really just a redesign (i.e. a freshen-up) or if an entirely new software platform will be integrated. Should it be the latter, understanding the features and limitations of the selected solution and asking designers and developers for recommendations and guidance will prove to be extremely useful?
For example, if you are deploying a new content management system (CMS), ask for input from your Web designer about the level of complexity in relation to creating new design themes and templates, or quiz the developer about challenges integrating new modules.
The next step in redesigning is often where most Web professionals immediately jump the layout and wireframing. Only when you are armed with a sufficient amount of benchmarking insights and elements necessary to satisfy marketing objectives should you start working with wireframes and layouts.
Web-based diagram tools like Gliffy can help layout the structure of the website and ensure that all the "pieces of the puzzle" present before moving on actual site wireframing. Some of the most popular wireframing tools include Mockingbird (gomockingbird.com), HotGloo (hello.hot-gloo.com), MockFlow (mockflow.com), and a personal favorite in Pencil (evolus.vn/pencil/) a free add-on for Firefox Completely redesigning a website every few years might seem like a daunting task.
But staying fresh in the eyes of your users and relevant to the employees that support your business is imperative. Understanding how all users (consumers and employees) use the site, how your site's competitors stack up, understanding the underlying but required marketing objectives and getting started with the redesign with a layout and wireframing session will prove to shorten design and development time and ensure that your newly redesigned website make a difference to your company.
We spoke with Pinckney Hugo Group's Executive Vice President Aaron Hugo and Senior Interactive Designer Adam Jaskiewicz to get their opinions on website redesign the criteria processes and objectives Pinckney Hugo Group is a full-service marketing firm that offers traditional services such as print, radio, and television, as well as interactive services.
WM: How long, typically, is it until a redesign is needed?
AH: something has changed in the brand, there's new positioning or a new message that usually forces a Web redesign. But in a lot of cases every three years, depending on the industry
AJ: You're not doing a little each day or each month you're falling behind quickly.
WM: What are the most-needed redesign elements of the website?
AH: Right now, over the past year, it's complete redesigns. What we're really seeing is clients asking us to help lead them through a navigation planning process.lt's about really understanding the way a customer would logically go through their site. What are the most important functions and features of their site?
AJ The nature in which people use websites has changed in the last 10 years, such as social media aspects sharing and posting. With most clients that we're seeing they realize design is more than a pretty picture on the home page. People are really using the Web differently So, clients understand a lot of planning has to happen before developing
WM: What are some common redesign mistakes?
AH: Everybody reads just enough to be dangerous. They re reading about FLASH color theory whatever. They don't truly do the planning the beginning. We've never walked into a meeting where a client showed us analytics and gave us direction to a redesign it's one of the first things we want to ask them what's most needed?
AJ:A lot of times clients are too close to their products or services. They overcomplicate things. A client needs to take a step back, and that's a good reason to hire an agency.
WM: When contracting a redesign, what questions should a client ask?
AH: A lot has to do with how flexible a company is How well will you hold my hand through this process?
If we need to make changes in the end if we to relearn something will you need be there to help us?Halfway through the process, if we need change how well can that be accommodated and is there an upcharge?
AJ: I believe a client should be able to ask their partner to lead them through the process. eliminated. Garbage-in-garbage-out needs to be
WM: Is design more important than ever?
AH: It's your window to the world There are so many ways now to get in front of your audience. It's mission critical.
AJ: it's important to note that advertising has moved online, too. As more budget and advertising becomes interactive. you need your pages to look as professional as possible.
Pricing Web Hosting
"The Web hosting industry has always been driven by evolving customer technology," says Reed Cald well, founder and CEO of Servant, a managed hosting provider that's experienced its own evolution during 15 years of service As modern Web content has become woven into the fabric of our daily lives, the hosting industry adapted to better meet customers' high expectations for uptime performance, managed services, security and social responsibility.
Which is good news for anyone shopping for a Web host in today's heavily tilted buyer's market? Whether you are in the development stages of a one-person startup or you have enjoyed a successful Web presence for decades, never hurts to take a quick refresher course in the current costs of Web hosting. Shared hosting is the most affordable and most popular option, and today's fees start at just a few dollars per month.
The upside is that you'll receive unlimited bandwidth and storage space for little money.
The downside is that you'll be sharing a server with others creating the potential for security issues or lapses in performance. services and there are a staggering amount of reputable, professional companies from which to choose.
There are also dozens of shared Web hosting review sites, and one of the most helpful and informative is www.alreadyhosting.com. "The shared hosting industry is to a point now that companies are just about at the break-even threshold and most of their money comes from upsells," says
Josh Ewin of Dedicated Now, a 12-year-old managed dedicated "The reseller business has grown so much over the past few years and there are so many Mom and Pop companies that providers are realizing they have to offer customers more than just low prices Some shared hosts will offer dedicated IPs private SSL for added security, nudging the monthly fee past the $10 mark and into the $12-$15 range. if you're still not comfortable with the shared-server concept at that price, consider dedicated and managed hosting, where the host supplies a dedicated server which the customer has exclusive use.
Dedicated monthly fees can start as low as $59 per month, but they average closer $250-$300 and can top out just above four figures, depending the robustness of the network, the quality of the hardware and the range of services provided "You have to look at web hosting as a service the same way you view transportation as a service," says Ewin. "There are different price structures for different vehicles, and you can expect to pay much less to ride in a Geo than you would in a Bentley.
In the last 18 months or so, companies are really realizing the value of adding in significant management services. Yet another option that falls between the shared server hosting and dedicated or managed to host is Virtual Private Server VPS) hosting. This is a form of shared hosting that allows website operators more control over hardware, software, and access through a private area on the server used only by them. This a logical and popular way to transition into dedicated and shared hosting for a more affordable cost of about $50 to $150 per month, again depending on bandwidth and storage requirements.
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