How do you know whether your website needs to be updated?
How do you do it right?
Like a new coat of paint or freshly polished floorboards can bring an old room to life, so too can improvements to your website bolster your presence online. There are several indicators that it’s time to revamp or refresh your site…
∙ Your site is looking bland or dated.
∙ You are rebranding your business.
∙ Functionality and navigation are a bit clunky.
∙ Your sales are down.
Even if your site has been serving you well for several years, you may feel that it’s now time for a change.
The first thing you must do is determine WHY you need to redesign your website.
For example:
1. Your Online Traffic Volume is Down – you need to identify whether this is due to your website’s aesthetics, its navigation and functionality, or whether you need to instead focus on and correct other factors to better suit the current Google algorithm and search engine optimization requirements. By understanding why your traffic trends and conversion rate are behaving the way they are, you can better target your resources and strategy to improve your online outcomes.
2. Your Web Developer Says You Need a New Website – it’s a good idea to get a second opinion on whether you do really need a new site – from a digital marketing specialist, SEO expert, or even your customer base. If your site is dated, boring, slow to load, no longer captivating and converting your audience, or if you are rebranding or changing/expanding your offering, then a website refresh is likely a great idea.
You do need to ensure that any changes you make will be welcomed by your customers and fan base – dramatic changes can alienate some audiences.
There are several things to consider when you do opt to revamp your site – from why you are doing it to ensuring that you don’t lose hard-earned SEO ranks. Ensure you have processes in place to guarantee as smooth a transition as possible and to minimise any inadvertent damage to your online rankings and existing traffic levels.
If performed properly and with the help of an expert web developer such as a professional, experienced Orange County website design company, you can create an effective new look for your website that will invigorate sales and increase your search engine rankings.
To mitigate any risk of a poor outcome, there are a few simple guidelines to follow:
1. You may need only simple, surface improvements to your website. By keeping the underlying site structure constant, your website’s current indexation will be maintained and any links to your landing page URLs will remain valid. Moreover, your current customer base will still be using a familiar site and more easily adapt to the changes.
2. For any site that requires a complete overhaul, you must plan accordingly. This includes redirects.
If you change the URL structure of a website, web pages that were indexed are suddenly no longer present. If landing pages disappear, Google Search bots will assume they no longer exist, and unless you tell them where the content can now be found, the ranks will be dropped altogether. You need to ensure that all old URLs are redirected to the relevant new pages at launch, so you do not lose the current rankings those pages have.
Get Advice from an Expert!
You not only need an expert web developer and designer to work on your new website! You should, ideally, also consult with an SEO specialist to prevent any damage to rankings. It’s much easier to keep existing ranks than to gain new ones!