// WIDSIX WRITTEN WORD //

SIX Things to Consider Entering a Website Redesign / WIDSIX Website Remix

Classic question for business owners, marketing teams, or anyone with a website – Should we have our website redesigned (a website remix, if you will). If you’re a cheapskate, the answer is simple – don’t do anything until you are ready to tackle the project correctly with a normal budget that matches your goals. The idea of JUST a remix/redesign your website sounds cheap and easy, but you are really just trying to polish a turd (if you want a new one, deep down you know it’s true). We would recommend just holding tight until you are really ready to dedicate some time, energy and/or resources to the project.  

Early in your project ideation or don’t know where to start or need have gone down a rabbit hole? Here are SIX things we think you should keep in mind:

• COMPETITOR ANALYSIS: It sounds obvious, but study up! Don’t over-analyze and don’t steal their style, but you definitely want to know what people in your industry are up to, what they might be doing well (or not so well), and what types of innovation is happening in your industry.
• AUDIT YOUR EXISTING WEBSITE: Do an honest audit of your existing website. Focus on the customer experience, flow of information, calls to action, etc. Try to visit the site as if you were a noob – and see what stands out to you (or more importantly what isn’t).
• KNOW WHAT YOU WANT: Knowing what you want on your website and a list of desired functionality is helpful no matter which team or agency you engage for the project. Do you want a store/ecommerce, blog  / news section, integration with a CRM, etc … making a list of items you want on your site can help your design team with layout/design, as well as the development team come up with an accurate scope + project timeline. It’s always a good idea to also have a few examples of existing sites you like and talk through what you like or don’t like to make sure the design team has a good understanding of your website goals. 
• GO, GO MOBILE: The team you choose should be checking this but all too often items are missed and you as a client know what you want! Even good teams miss little tweaks and might miss items that you or your team might see – During the site build, you will want to check your website on different types of devices including mobile phones. Make sure your site translates effortlessly to mobile and still reflects everything you want on it. 
• SITE TO SOCIAL: A digital footprint is much more than a well made website. At a minimum, make sure your website connects into your social media outlets like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Users should be able to find your social icons with ease so that they can follow you. Get into their feed and there is that much more likelihood they will be circling back to your website as they scroll! 
• SEO (or at least SEO friendly / SEO-ready): Like it or not, SEO needs to be in your plans for your online presence to be a success. Make sure you mention SEO in your initial plans and conversations (internally and with outsiders). SEO in the mix on your planning can help with the site mapping, content planning, etc.
• BONUS – DON’T HAVE TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN: Especially when it comes to design and revisions, for the love of god, please, please, please – aside from the initial conversations and vetting, have a small group of trusted team members who know the stakeholders vision lead the charge. There is nothing that squashes productivity and blows up design timelines faster than falling into the trap of “design by committee”. Empower the team to lead the charge, then let them run with it!
• BONUS – LESS IS MORE (MOST TIMES): Controlling the customer journey through your website is something that is overlooked or ignored, but should be your primary goal during your website design planning and site mapping process. Many clients come to us and just have too much information on their homepages, too many calls to action, etc. As the industry professional, you already know what they want and can anticipate those questions/concerns – guiding visitors to the areas you know they want to reach. Don’t just list what YOU want to see or what YOU want to tell them – address their concerns and speak to those questions or concerns you know they will have to make them feel comfortable with your company.

More questions or not sure about how to start? Hit us up. We’d love to chat and see if we’d be a good fit for you. If we aren’t a good fit, we often have partners or other resources to suggest for you to meet your goals (or things to think about before engaging an outside team/agency).

From PPC/Paid Media, Design, Website Design + Build, and Social Media, WIDSIX can help bring your concept to life + meet those lofty marketing goals! Get in touch with us today to get started!