In our last post, we addressed the importance of understanding the business purpose(s) of your site before designing a new website. Jumping in feet first to development may be fun for some, but without the proper planning, it’ll be tough to land on an effective website design.
Let’s take a look at a few more things to consider when designing a new website.
3. How do your customers use and view your website?
Sometimes, your organization’s internal expectations for the website don’t align with your customer’s expectations. When designing a
new website, look at it as an opportunity to connect with your customer’s needs and learn how they’ve changed since the last time you redesigned your site.
Understanding your website from the customer’s perspective can be achieved through both web metrics and anecdotal evidence. Questions to consider include:
- Are most of your customers using computers or mobile devices?
- What search queries are drawing customers to your site?
- Why do customers leave your site before converting?
Steps to take:
- Evaluate your current website’s performance to learn what is driving customers to your site—and away from it.
- Reach out to your customers for feedback about what improvements they’d like to see in the new site design.
4. What content and functionality need to be supported on the new site design?
Once you know why your website is being used, the planning phase for a good website design must include a full inventory of the actions and content that will be present on the new site. Whether it’s e-commerce, research, or support, the purpose of the site should be the cornerstone of your design.
Steps to take:
- Collect all of your content and determine how it should be organized and accessed by customers.
- Determine the actions customers and employees will need to take on the site and discuss the best way to make them happen.
A good website design is the foundation for a successful customer journey. Designing a new website thus requires a strong marketing manager who can coordinate with multiple stakeholders from across the business and execute those plans with a dedicated team of professionals.
For many companies, the day-to-day operations of marketing keep them from completing the amount of planning needed for successfully designing a new website. This is the perfect time to hire a fractional marketing manager to coordinate the planning stage and implement all phases of the project with their network of subject-matter experts.
If you have a website redesign on your 2019 checklist, contact JABR Marketing today to learn how we can help make it a reality.
Do you have an existing website you’re looking to improve? Check out our colleague Michelle Tresemer’s blog titled: How Can I quickly Improve My Website?