It's often difficult to define when our website needs a little refresh. And there are many preconceived ideas on the subject.
Myth n°1 : a redesign is only carried out in the event of major changes in the company (acquisition, change of business strategy, change of graphic charter, etc.)
Myth n°2 : a redesign concerns the "old" websites.
These preconceptions are tenacious and it is now time to change things.
A redesign is not only considered in the event of a total restructuring of the company, just as a site created in 2015 may already need improvements.
When do you know if a redesign is necessary?
Most of the time, this question is asked when changes are underway in your business. These are not systematically major changes as mentioned above, it can simply be a question of solving common problems in companies:
- Appearance or deletion of certain services that are not available on the site
- New company goals
- Decline in sales and traffic
- Design at odds with the company's image
- Negative customer feedback about navigation
All these developments are an excellent pretext to consider a complete analysis and thus define the degree of obsolescence of your site.
That was for the reasons that concern you and your company directly.
Then comes the second excellent excuse: the sudden and endless evolution of digital. A world that evolves with trends, where your logo will become "has been" in the next two years, where the modes of site referencing are constantly changing and are ever more demanding, a world where the consumer is used to comparing and finding perfection. In short, a rhythm that is difficult to follow and that will require time and investment.
Too often, companies consider the creation and maintenance of a site as an expense and not an investment. We will therefore present you with the different benefits you can get from maintaining your website.
- Increase your conversion rate:
– Attractive design : The first impression is often decisive, if it is positive, you will have a better chance of increasing your conversion rate.
–Ergonomics : ease of navigation, practical features, speed, are all criteria determining customer satisfaction with the time spent on your site. - Improving your visibility : (Google's recognition) and yes, you may not know it, but Google analyzes the relevance of your site on different criteria. It then assigns a degree of relevance that will have major consequences on the position of your site in the search pages (e.g. updating content, relevance of articles, regular updating, speed of loading of the site, etc.). If you want to put all the chances on your side to obtain optimal referencing, you will have to dedicate time to updating your site and not overlook the trends and news of the moment in the sector. Otherwise, you may end up in the last dusty pages of the search engine.
A little advice , take a look at your competitors' websites and analyze their evolution. Don't hesitate to take a look at reference sites such as: Dribble or Site Inspire to learn about successful trends. - Retain your customers : add features to allow your customer to benefit from new services: direct online chat with the company, personalized space, order tracking, etc. This facilitates your organization and builds customer loyalty thanks to the simplicity and practicality of your tools.
- Security, a priority on the web : we will talk about it in detail in a future article dedicated to this subject, but nowadays securing your website is essential. We were talking about Google's referencing criteria, and you should know that since 2017 the search engine has given much more importance to the security of the web. Think about it, even if it is only a showcase site. Reassured customer = increased traffic.
Mistakes not to make
Favor form over substance : a redesign is not only aesthetic! There's no point in covering a lack of content or a set of inconsistencies with a pretty layout, you'll be quickly unmasked. Take advantage of this rework to review, improve, and supplement your current content.
Quick done, badly done: A redesign takes time! Above all, do not neglect the market and competition research stage, it is essential to define realistic and coherent objectives.
Abandoning the site over time : a redesign should not be a one-off action that is no longer paid attention to later. The content and form should be monitored regularly to determine if improvements are needed.
Discover Studio Cassette's brand new Monitoring and Maintenance offer.
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