The Internet began to gain popularity in the mid 90's. Many companies, large and small, immediately recognized how valuable a website would be for their company and they went out and spent thousands and thousands of dollars to have one developed for their business. Over the years some of those companies have paid a great deal of attention to keeping their website up-to-date with new content and new features, while others have probably continued on with their original website, not realizing that their website was due for a redesign.
So why should companies even consider redesigning their website?
Well because, here we are, some 15 years later or so, and things have definitely changed. More people are turning to the Internet to find the products or services that they need.
Many search engines have been developed, all with their own rules on how they will index websites and display them in their search results.
The Internet browsers that you have installed on your computer, perhaps Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, are updated on a regular basis and with each update, the way that your website appears on the Internet may change.
While it is good that things are constantly being updated, the drawback is that depending on how your website was initially programmed will determine how your website will appear as we progress through these updates and changes.
A variety of things may not look like, or work like they did when your website was first developed.
For example if your website is 6 years or older and it was developed using frames, then today you may find that your content and images appear out of alignment, making your website pages difficult to view.
You may also find that it seems to take several minutes for your site to appear on your screen.
The good news some 15 years later is that it no longer costs thousands and thousands of dollars to have a great website developed for your business or to have your current website redesigned with the most up-to-date technology. You can easily find some very affordable website design packages for your business.
How do you know if your website is due for a redesign?
You Know Your Website Needs to be Redesigned because:
1. The content and design of your current website is very outdated.
2. Many of the links on your website that go to external sites are broken because those external sites no longer exist.
3. Your website was created using old technology and now when you try to look at it you see that your content and images are completely out of alignment.
4. When you look for your website on Google or other search engines it either no longer appears, or it does appear, but it is on page 20 something.
5. You keep hearing people talk about Search Engine Optimization and how that will help your website rank closer to the top in the Search Engines. If only you knew whether or not your current website was developed based on the best practices of Search Engine Optimization.
6. You think the design of your current website is embarrassing and you really hope no one that knows you ever sees it.
7. People have told you that when they tried to visit your website it took several minutes before it appeared on their monitor. You know from experience that most websites appear within seconds.
8. You've developed new product lines or offer new services but your website does not demonstrate that.
9. People mention to you that your website is hard to navigate because it just seems to cluttered and to complex.
10. You have recreated your business logo and colour scheme to something more modern but now your website needs to be updated to reflect your new look.
You could be considering having your website redesigned for several of the above reasons.
However I caution you that before you start the process of having your website redesigned you should make a list of the items that are working well on your current website.
By that I mean:
- What keywords and keyword phrases does your current website rank well for?
- What content and images on your current website are still relevant to your business and should definitely be included in your redesigned website?
While these two cautionary points may not sound like much, if you currently have a website that has been online for several or more years, then it is important to include the things that work well on your current website in your redesigned website.
Before you initiate the process of having your website redesigned speak with your website design specialist and ensure that they will work with you to review your current website and capture the items that need to be included in your new website after they redesign it. By combining what is currently working on your site with the latest technology, your redesigned website will help your business grow to new heights.
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