Revamping Your Online Presence Through Website Redesign

Bill Gates once stated that by the end of 2002, there would be only two kinds of businesses: those with an Internet presence, and those with no business at all. Perhaps that was an overkill, but an effective Web site has become an integral part of business today. With that being the case, it has become increasingly important for businesses to have a dynamic online image. It is therefore imperative to note that website redesign is as important an aspect as initial development.

The market keeps on shifting every new dawn, and as a result, new content has to be constantly created to reflect a vibrant image for the company. Redesigning, however, is not just all about giving a new-look to an existing site. It takes proper planning and execution to ensure that while getting an updated online presence, the business maintains its corporate identity. Below are steps that will help in this process:

Identifying the Goals and Setting the Tone

The first step a business should take is clearly defining the changes that they need on their website. This entails outlining the project objectives and creating a seamless start-to-end workflow to avoid getting stuck in the middle. Employing survey tools here will help generate useful feedback from their customers and general site visitors, however this should not be the ultimate decider. It has been proven that the views of the majority do not always work but rather should serve as broad guideline for incorporation with the company's strategic plan. It is also important to consider compliance issues at this stage by going through the applicable regulatory body standards to ensure the new website will meet all the requirements.

Getting a Customized Content Management System

Gone are the days when websites were coded from scratch. Availability of content management systems (CMS) have made it possible to acquire an all-inclusive platform for scalable online deployment. A good CMS makes it easier to maintain and update content. The CMS ensures that the next time the business wants to make changes, it can draw a line between structural modification and new content upload.

Creating Quality Content

One of the main reasons that necessitate frequent website redesign is having poor quality content to start with. When embarking on a revamp process, it is important to carry out an audit of all the information uploaded on the website -- past and present. The business should identify the gaps and gauge the relevance of its content against the expectation of its users. This will ensure that in due time their site is refined and subsequent changes are only done on a need-be basis.

Working With an Upscalable Model

It is important to avoid major overhauls being done all at once. This is because it is disruptive and the website users may be disoriented and not able to adapt to the changes. A gradual rollout on incremental basis is desirable and also saves on implementation costs. Future changes can be easily added with minimal interference.

Testing

Before the final launch, a company should test a beta version of the new-look website. This will help identify glitches and aspects that do not work as per their target audience. The feedback they receive will go a long way in making the final product not only desirable but also functional and user friendly.

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Ronald Brown is an Expert Author and Director of WebsiteDirect, a full service Las Vegas Web Design and Lead Generation Marketing Company.

To discover how a website and SEO can help your business get found online, generate new leads, and convert them into paying customers, go to:

http://www.websitedirect.org

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