If your organization has had basically the same website online for more than a year — and especially if you’ve had it for several years — it is high time for a new look, and some new functionality. Unless you have an in-house IT staff that is constantly tweaking and redesigning your site, chances are you have a stale site.
There’s a reason big companies refresh the look and feel of their websites frequently. Their websites are their calling cards to the outside world; it’s often the first point of contact between a brand and its constituents. A redesign creates excitement among users (that is, if it’s done well; a poorly-designed, hard-to-use new site can backfire on your brand). It adds functionality as needed. It allows the organization to look like it is ahead of the curve.
Here’s a list of reasons why your organization should embrace the power of a new website:
- A fresh public-facing look. An old website can look out of place on today’s internet. It speaks poorly of your brand, making it look behind the times. By offering a fresh look, you can add some much-needed energy to a stale internet presence — and deliver the message to consumers that you are a forward-thinking company.
- Mobile optimization. Many older websites are not optimized for mobile devices, especially smartphones. That results in users needing to drive themselves crazy trying to read your desktop-oriented site on their phones. While this was once somewhat acceptable, it isn’t any more. Web users EXPECT smartphone-optimized sites now. Is yours one of them? If not, you need to address this as soon as possible.
- Updated messaging. Marketing messages change over time. Does your website accurately and effectively communicate those messages? Does it say the right things about your organization as it stands now (not two years ago)? It’s a great time for you to reevaluate the website copy you have currently, and come up with something that better reflects what your organization is, and what it wants to be, circa now.
- Share content better. Maybe your organization has a lot of good content, such as how-to guides, videos, white papers, blog posts, and your current website doesn’t allow you to display them well. Maybe it’s difficult to load new content. With a new site, you can set it up so that all of your content is uploaded, displayed, and found more effectively.
- Better navigation. Maybe your site map over the years has gotten more and more convoluted and confusing for visitors to find your great content. Do the menus make sense? Is the site poorly organized? A site redesign is a great time to think about how your average constituent would like to use your site, and make it as easy as possible for them to get a better user experience.
In general, older websites often get out of hand with haphazard updates, and effectively lose their way. If your organization is ready to commit to a new website, it’s imperative that you make sure all of your language is up to date, and the site is easy to use. Think of how you want to organize information. Above all, think about how you can best get users to STAY on your site once they get there; prominently-displayed video content is extremely helpful in this area.
Many people will give a website one quick look before deciding if they want to further engage or move on. Give them every reason NOT to move on with a modern, highly functional new site.
Cloud 9 Strategies revitalizes web presences for companies and organizations across the country. Contact us today to get started on YOUR redesign.