Note: This article was originally published in The Greeley Tribune, Sunday Business Section, July 24, 2005

Web Wise: Tips on how to re-design your Web site

When people come to me for help in re-designing their Web site, I analyze the current site, survey what's needed to make the future site succeed and put together the right team to produce the project successfully and on time. I finally re-designed my own Web site recently. It was good for me to personally experience the re-design process because it reminded me of some tips to share with you that will make the whole process easier on your own Web site production team and on yourself.

There are two basic types of re-designs. Decide which one you're doing:

Demolition: Entirely starting over--detonating everything, including the content (text and photos and any other content). If your Web site is more than three years old, you'll probably fall into this category. Be sure you're clear on your company's goals and the face you want to put on your marketing because that's what will drive your new Web site's flavor, look-and-feel and its tone of voice in the new copy (text of pages).

Re-modeling: With a re-model, you may keep the content but re-organize it and/or edit it and you'll start over on the design (look-and-feel). If your Web site looks out of date but "talks" intelligently then you fall into the re-modeling category of re-design. You'll need to assess whether or not anything else is worth saving or recycling into the new Web site.

A "demolition" re-design calls for you to be crystal clear about who your target audience is and what it is you want them to do when they arrive at your Web site. If you're about to create your first Web site, you can use these tips, too:

Define basic items by surveying yourself on what your Web site needs to do. Simply write down the goal like this: "Every day, I want 500 people (get specific: mothers, aged 18-45, with annual incomes of $75,000+) to find my Web site high up in the Search Engines by these keywords (insert here), land in my home page and (define the action you want them to take). Furthermore, I want 30% repeat customers who'll come back again because I will offer (insert incentive here)."

Write down how you'll measure whether or not your Web site is succeeding and regularly check in on this.

Plan for marketing by making sure your Web site is completely ready to receive traffic. Don't promote a Web site that's missing parts or you'll waste people's time and they might not come back.

Include basic things that your visitors will appreciate: a user-friendly navigation menu; fast-loading pages; a contact form; a phone number; your picture (if appropriate); and endorsements from your happy customers, as well as valuable information that gets frequently updated.

A "re-model" re-design is not quite as time-consuming as starting over but do be prepared to do a lot of homework. Use these tips to help you:

Decide on whether or not to hire a professional Web writer to edit and/or re-write your Web site's copy (text of pages) and re-organize it so it's easier for people to find what they need right away. You can do it yourself IF you're a good writer. Print out your Web pages and hand-edit or copy/paste into a Word doc or PDF and work from that. Your Web site producer will find it easier and less time-consuming if you have your content in digital format.

Decide if you're currently addressing your Web site visitors' needs when they first land on your homepage. If not, re-write to immediately direct them to what they need. Don't be too verbose: less is more.

Be clear on the "flavor" or essence of the new design when you meet with your Web designer. Don't do this yourself unless you're a Web designer. Would you build your new home yourself or hire a professional with lots of experience? Which choice do you think will produce the best results? Your Web site is your face to the world and should be something you're proud of.

In a sense, you're always in the re-design process because you should be continually analyzing your Web data to improve your Web site. It's a circular process, much like taking care of your car by checking the oil, your tire pressure and so on. If you don't maintain your car, it'll eventually break down and you'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere, wishing you had taken the time to do simple maintenance. The same is true for your Web site. If you don't take care of your Web site, it will grow stale and break down on you, only instead of losing transportation, you'll lose customers who want to buy from you. They want valuable, fresh information. Give them what they want and they'll come back for more.

Lori Gama-White owns DaGama Web Studio in Greeley, Colorado. Developing strategic, results-oriented Web sites since 1997, Lori Gama-White and her team of Web professionals are passionate about helping people get their businesses on to the Internet. For more information, questions or comments, call 970-378-7822 or e-mail .

© 2005 Lori Gama-White - All Rights Reserved - http://www.dagamawebstudio.com
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