12 Reasons For A Redesign.

Publishing a new version of your website is a bold move. Whilst often approached with more fear than optimism, a website redesign is an exciting opportunity to redefine yourself in the eyes of your site visitors.

Presented here are the top twelve reasons that inspire a website redesign.

Age.

The site is outdated. This is the number one reason. The internet is a fast-moving place and any site that doesn't change will get left behind. Perfectly good sites made just three or four years ago can now show to the visitor a neglected part of your organisation.

Websites made six or seven years ago can now induce fits of laughter or worse, turn visitors away. Loud colours, moving text & animated icons scream out for modernisation.

Access.

Old site are almost always inaccessible. A significant proportion of heavy internet users have accessibility needs. Your site might be closing the door to visitors.

Beyond moral and financial considerations, there is also the legality of your site to consider. The Disability Discrimination Act has now been amended to cover websites.

Search Engines.

Old sites that are inaccessible to the disabled will also be difficult for the search engines as they use the same technology to get around your website. Thousands of sites are invisible to the search engines. If Search engine listing is a priority, then an old or badly made website must be rebuilt from the ground up.

Integrate.

You may need to bring the website inline with the rest of your organisation. In the eyes of your visitors, does your current site integrate well with all other areas or is it seen as a separate entity?

Expectations.

There are now certain standards & conventions that visitors expect from a website. Failing to meet your visitors expectations will gradually see them abandon using the site altogether.

Ease Of Use.

The navigation is awkward with the most popular areas hidden away at the back of the site. The content may be fine but some visitors find it difficult to find everything. Gradual changes over time can eventually leave some areas of your site obsolete. A redesign can get your website pointing in the right direction again.

Drifting.

Your website needs to become more focused on your core activites. A shift in customer focus could leave your website talking to the wrong type of visitor.

You may have gradually moved your attention towards a new target market & the website needs to appeal to them. For instance, tableware is now young & aspirational whereas hi-tech gadgets are now aimed at the "silver surfers".

Under-performance.

The website is a failure. Projects that should flow from your site are avoided because it is too much effort. The reasons may not be known but visitors simply do not like your site & are reluctant to use it.

Falling Behind.

Avoiding falling behind other websites that are similar to you is obvious. Being perceived as dropping away is as bad as actually doing it, but often goes unnoticed. Do your visitors believe you operate a well tended website? A redesign can simply offer a "lick of paint" effect, if that is all that is required.

Moving Ahead.

An opportunity to be seen to move ahead of your competition. It is the internet equivalent of moving to better premises. Curiously, this reason is stated less often than the reason above. Falling behind will force you to get active, whereas moving ahead can always wait, yes?

Repair.

Many older sites are harbouring bad code that fails to deliver for many visitors using the various hardware & software options available now. Happily functioning sites built for previous versions of Internet Explorer may contain "work-around hacks" that will break the webpage in the new version.

With an 83 percent share of the browser market there are going to be a lot of visitors that need fresh code. This new version (number 7) is due late 2006.

Marketing.

A website redesign is a teriffic excuse to contact your target market. Site traffic can triple following a well advertised redesign.

During this time the site appears fresh & visitors can more easily be persuaded to change their habits. For instance, customers that pay by mailing a cheque can be persuaded to try the benefits of e-Commerce.

The above article is provided for information purposes only.