Business owners understand more than anyone else the need for a Website Redesigning an up-to-date, attractive, smoothly-functioning website. Additionally, you also have your fingers on the pulse of the market and are intensely aware of the dramatic shifts that it undergoes almost by the day.
That’s why you would be among the earliest to know that your website isn’t working the way it used to when it was first launched.
You may be picking up cues from customers, or there’s grumbling on social media, your in-house marketing team feels frustrated, or you even get friendly hints from your competitors. Adverse comments, complaints, or simply a gradual tapering off of traffic must be flagged.
The logical conclusion to draw from these signs and symptoms is that your website is undergoing a health crisis and needs urgent treatment – this could be just a minor procedure such as a design refresh, or major transplant surgery in the form of a full website redesign.
The challenge is not just knowing the difference between the two, but also knowing how to find the best website redesigning company in 2021.
Design Refresh or Website Redesign?
Let’s look at another analogy – when you’ve lived in a house for a long time, some of the kitchen design trends that were hot at the time you bought it now look outdated, and appliances are on the blink.
That bright yellow laminate on the cabinets, the old vinyl floor, outdated microwave and cooker, and the boring paint on the walls no longer make it a space you enjoy working in, they don’t lift your mood and worse still, what comes out of your kitchen isn’t up to the mark because of your negative emotions.
The solution is a design refresh.
This is more cosmetic in nature, and a few tweaks in crucial areas would do the trick. Change the laminate and flooring, repaint the walls, put in new appliances, and you’re good to go.
However, if your plumbing, electricals, and architectural features need to be changed, the structure is unsafe, the design doesn’t reflect your growth and progress, this calls for a major overhaul. Now you’re looking at a redesign project.
Typically, your website needs redesigning if:
The website is stagnant
Websites that look dated, takes ages to load, have fonts that are “quaint” (to put it charitably), makes users feel frustrated because they can’t find what they want quickly, you need a website redesigning.
You need rebranding
If you’ve recently merged, launched new lines of business, acquired other brands, or been acquired by another one, this means you need to re-evaluate your branding. A new logo, new colors, fonts, style, new story-line for the brand, a fresh new personality and UX, new media and architecture are needed, via a complete redesign project.
You’re stuck with old tech
Your website may have hit the spot technologically two or three years ago, but with tech being so dynamic, it’s possible that your website lags behind.
Today, Google’s top priority is “Mobile First.” There are more than 3 million smartphone users worldwide and adults in the US spend nearly 3 hours on their phones in a day.
Nearly 70% of mobile users prefer to check reviews of products/services on their phone rather than speak to an online or store employee.
Mobile traffic comprises more than 50% of all internet traffic and more than half the number of internet shoppers indicates that a business that provides mobile shopping facilities is a big factor in brand selection/loyalty. So if your website isn’t optimized for omnichannel marketing, it’s bad news.
Your content is dated and irrelevant
Unless you provide original, engaging, fresh, and useful content on your website in the form of blogs, banners, social media links, Twitter feeds, etc., your traffic will drift away towards others that do. You may need a new approach to your content strategy and design.
How To Find The Best Website Redesign Company in 2021
Do a needs analysis
This means taking a long, hard look at your “old” website. Do it with the help of an unbiased third person, involve your marketing team and your data analysts.
Decide what you love and hate about the website. Sync it with information from third parties, opinions from the marketing team, and numbers from your data number crunchers. This would help you to know what to keep and what to discard.
Firm upon Your Business Needs
What role does your website really play in your marketing campaign? Is it offered as a brochure, or does it drive important revenues, does it offer important new leads, does it integrate with other important functions such as bookkeeping, what are the short and long term needs of your business that could see your website playing a larger role? These are essential questions to ask yourself and your team before you approach the redesign project.
Get recommendations
While it’s a great idea to go back to the company that designed the earlier site, explore new avenues, and harness new perspectives. Your friends, family, customers, a marketing department could give you tips on great redesign specialists.
Portfolios
are a reliable indicator of their work. Look at real-time websites and don’t settle for screenshots. Check if they’ve worked in your area of business/industry to assess their creativity and style statements.
Get specifics
How long will it take, how much will it cost, what conversion strategies would be used, how many landing pages (typically, there are 5) what CMS (content management system) will be used, do they build custom sites or use templates, what testing platforms are used, and how much downtime should you look at. These are important parameters to be drawn when you make your selection.
Where to look
While Google is a great resource, don’t rely on it entirely in your quest for the best website redesigning company. A good option is a mid-size, experienced, and reputed local firm. They may not advertise heavily but they’re easier to communicate with, and you can find them through word-of-mouth referrals.
City directories are a good source of information and if you have a local business/store that you patronize regularly, they could put you in touch with fresh talent.
