Design Method
How a website redesign will deliver value to your business
We have entered a mobile-first digital age where having an easy-to-use responsive website is not just a nice-to-have, it’s critical to the success of your business. Think of your website as a shop window for your business. Any potential client or customers will check out your online presence along with your competitors’ before deciding which demonstrates trust and credibility.
If you get it right, your website can act as your 24/7 salesperson. Before committing to a website re-design, many will question if it can genuinely deliver a measurable return on their investment. Here are just a few ways that a website will not only provide value to your business but win the hearts of your customers too.
Stand out from the crowd
The role of your website is to tell the story of your business, the problems that you solve and what makes you unique from other solutions. The problem is that you have around 7 seconds to grab the attention of your audience before they merely click away to look at something more interesting.
The appearance of your website, the clarity of your message and how relevant it is to your audience will all require the keen eye and brutal honesty of a web designer. Design is the secret ingredient that brings the visual web to life. It’s also responsible for connecting your products and services with the people that need them.
Although the role of a website is often underestimated, you should never forget that it represents the beginning of the customer experience with your brand. Design brings value to your business by building relationships with potential customers before the sale. A visual explanation of precisely what you do and how you bring value to your customers in a concise manner is critical to your future success.
Some business leaders struggle to understand the ROI of a website redesign. But, if you want to reach digital natives in the emerging new experience economy, your dated website is going to need freshening up to make it relevant to audiences in a mobile-first world.
You Don’t Get A Second Chance to Make A First Impression
Visitors to your business will make an instant judgment based on the appearance from the outside of your premises and inside your reception area. Equally, if a salesperson from your company went to see a customer in an old rusty car and baggy suit from the nineties, what would they think? Rightly or wrongly, we all make snap judgment based on our first impressions in our everyday life. Why should a website be any different?
If your website contains out of date information and a design that looks suspiciously dated with cliched stock footage, it will already be driving customers away. A website is your window dressing on the high street and chance to showcase how great you are at what you do. An offline or poor web presence is as damaging as the shutters being down of your building.
Solving Customers Problems With Content
Whether we have a faulty home appliance or unsure how to reset your home heating, most people reading this would have used the ubiquitous phrase, “Google it.” An online search on your search engine of choice or YouTube will reveal someone telling you how to fix the exact problem you are experiencing. What issues are your customers experiencing? And when they are searching for answers online, is your website optimised to point them to your content, products, and services?
A website redesign is not just about delivering the wow factor and being aesthetically pleasing. Your customers are probably searching for different answers to a new set of problems. A redesign presents a perfect opportunity to ensure your website SEO is improved too. So, when your audience turns to Google for help, it doesn’t point them in the direction of your competitors.
IMPROVED SEO AND PREPARATION FOR VOICE SEARCH
It’s also time to start thinking seriously about ensuring your website is optimised for voice search. An increasing number of people are beginning to explore asking digital assistants such as Google Home, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa for immediate answers using their voice rather than tapping on a keyboard.
Ensuring that your business is adapting to the changing habits of your customers will help you remain relevant in an era of exponential change.
You can only improve what you measure
If you are serious about proving to your stakeholders how your website redesign has not only delivered ROI but also transformed your business, you need to understand where you are now. Do you really know the key search phrases that your audience is using? Are they arriving at your website or your competitors? And how many sales is your website driving?
You need to draw a line in the sand right now and record meaningful metrics around the current performance of your website. Only then will you know your weakest areas and prove to the boardroom just how much your website redesign has delivered on the time and money you have invested into it.
In our increasingly digital world of one-click checkouts and getting almost anything our heart desires within a swipe on your smartphone, the game has changed dramatically. Our expectations are on the rise, and the experience a business provides has become more important than the transaction itself. That’s what keeps your customers coming back for more.
Does your website merely serve a purpose? Or does it provide an experience across web and voice search? Does it make your brand stand out from your competitors and position your business as a leader in your industry fit a digital age? And do you provide answers to the questions that your customers are searching for? If you answered no to any of these, let this serve as a gentle reminder that a website is not something to build and leave neglected for a few years, it’s time to adopt a continuous improvement mindset to ensure you and your business continues to lead the way.
