You have already made the decision to redesign your company’s website and want to have everything ready as soon as possible. After all, time is money and a redesign is always intended to improve, right? Normally, yes, but before moving on to the website redesign, you have to ask yourself these five questions, otherwise you may be losing users and… customers.
1 – Will your current users know how to navigate the new design?
Change is part of life, but most people are adverse to change. Even when we think we are changing something for the better, many people will automatically create a barrier to its use. So we must be extra careful when redesigning a website completely, because in addition to changing the way we navigate, we will also introduce a new visual style. These changes should positively influence the user’s experience and this is only possible if the user feels comfortable. If it makes sense, keep the names of the main sections. You can even create a page to advertise and explain the change in image – it is an opportunity to communicate your innovation, explain what has changed from the old site to the new one and at the same time you can ask for feedback on the redesign. When launching the new site, send that page by email, share on social networks and even create a reminder on the new website
2 – Have you looked at the visit statistics for the old site?
There is no way to look at the possibility of improving something in our business and particularly, something where our customers interact directly with our brand. There is no way to look at the possibility of improving something in our business and particularly, something where our customers interact directly with our brand. If you have a lot of visitors from other countries, wouldn’t it make sense to have an English version of the site? Which pages are most visited to optimise that content and explore more links to pages of greater value to your business? Where do your users come from? Do they visit again after the first visit? In addition to ensuring a good starting point, you can then compare these statistics with the new site and fine tune whatever is necessary to improve.
3 – What happens when the user arrives at the new site through a link from the old site?
Perhaps it is one of the most basic and most often overlooked questions. When redesigning the website, it is more likely that the addresses of your pages will also change… perhaps because the new website has a new navigation structure, a new technological platform… or both. What happens in these cases is that it will lose users (and potential customers) who come through links with addresses from the old site that are spread over the Internet. As it is practically impossible for the addresses of all pages to remain unchanged, you should register all 404 errors, that is, of pages not found and add the old addresses to the respective pages of the new site. In the worst case scenario, you should redirect the user to the Homepage when he reaches a page not found.
4 – Does the investment (whether time or money) considered include new content and features?
Often a redesign is only thought at the visual level and although it is essential to maintain a current image, one of the main factors that defines the success of a website is its content and features, that is, what really drives users to visit the website. For search engines, relevant content and features that users value, are factors that will drive your site up in organic search results (in addition to easing your AdWords advertising budget). In other words, these two aspects are important for its users and to be found in an ever-growing ocean of competitor websites.
5 – Will the new website be optimised for mobile devices?
If you haven’t noticed yet that visits to your site via mobile devices are increasing in volume, you certainly haven’t looked at your website’s statistics yet. Some analysts predict that in 2014 accesses by mobile devices will surpass personal computers. Although it is a given that more and more people use their mobile phones and tablets (iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone), there are still many websites that are not prepared for these devices, which means that when we access it, it is presented to us as a page with tiny letters and images and in which we have to constantly increase and move from side to side to be able to read a single sentence. By preparing your website for mobile devices, you are protecting your investment for the future and standing out from your current competition. These are just a few of the many questions to ask yourself when considering redesigning your website. Many other questions must be raised and answered before even drawing the first line. Many of the other issues are related to your business. Don’t forget to always listen to your users and your customers.
Don’t forget to always listen to your users and your customers. Have a good redesign!