ArtVersion is a Chicago-based design agency specializing in a variety of services such as website design, branding, user experience design, and graphic design. Their team of experts collaborates to craft impactful and effective design solutions for businesses of all sizes. Known for their innovative and user-centric approach, ArtVersion is recognized for delivering aesthetically pleasing and functional designs that enhance brand identity and user engagement.
In our fast-moving digital world, your company’s website can get out of date before you know it. The design and layout may start to look a little shop-worn. The site may contain non-standard html coding practices that can hurt your SEO rankings. New technologies can make some features and functions on your site seem old-fashioned. And it simply may be time to add new features, functions or pages to maintain with new developments in your business.
There are no hard and fast rules for how frequently to overhaul websites. But industry experts recommend revisiting your design every Website Redesign three to five years at minimum. If your industry experiences rapid changes in products, services or technologies, you might want to do it more often. Upgrading a website can be a difficult, time-consuming task. Following these guidelines will easily simplify the process and help you complete the project on time and within budget:
Start with the basics. Find out where your website is managed and where your url of your website is registered, as your website developer will need this information in order to proceed. For companies that set up their websites in the past, this can be a challenge. WhoIsHostingThis. com offers a useful tool for identifying where your website is managed. If you move even to another hosting company, let your designer and/or developer know in advance.
Overhaul with your clients in mind. Make sure you know very well what your clients want from your web site, then design it to fit their needs, not yours. For example, if you sell mostly to a young, cool market, your design should be sleek, modern and perhaps a good bit edgy. The look and feel of your renovated website may not appeal to your personal tastes, but the goal is to manufacture a great online experience for your site visitors.
Get involved. Even though you aren’t doing the overhaul, you need to stay involved throughout the process. Clearly communicate to your designer why you’re doing the overhaul and what you want to accomplish. Put the “deliverables” on paper so there might be no unawareness regarding what you expect from the design firm. And give the designer prompt feedback throughout the process.
Evaluate current and future website content. A website overhaul should always include an assessment of your current content strategy. Is your current content and messaging still on target with your audience’s primary issues and concerns? Or have their needs changed to the point that you need fresh content with updated messaging?
Get clear on content creation. If you decide that new content is required, don’t automatically assume the designer will create it. Many design firms have in-house copywriters who can create the content for you. Or they can recommend an experienced outsourced copywriter. But you can also write it yourself if you have the time and internal resources. Either way, content creation should always be spelled out in the service agreement.
Set a realistic timeline.
Finally, never overhaul your web site just for the health of change, as that can provok and confuse your clients. Every new design element should have grounds and a purpose, and every overhaul should cause a positive online experience which make it straightforward for prospects and customers to buy.