Websites are considered to be the foundation of the online presence of any company out there. However, it is essential to update and revamp them at regular intervals. This is because the website happens to be the facet of any company. On most occasions, websites are redesigned by companies since they fail to remain attractive anymore. An attractive website will enable the companies to maintain their brand presence on the web. For this reason, it needs to be refurbished every couple of years.
It is of prime importance to figure out whether your site is functioning properly or not. This will help you to decide whether it needs to be revamped. Nevertheless, the process of redesigning websites is not very easy, and lots of factors have to be considered to prevent any issues from creeping up. Having this in mind, we have mentioned the top 12 mistakes to stay away from while revamping your website.
1. Not setting up targets
One typical mistake made by the site owners will be not being aware of the requirements of their site or what they would like to attain by redesigning the website. It is of prime importance to define your objectives so that the revamping of your site becomes fruitful. You should be able to comprehend why you are revamping your site and investing so much time and money as well.
For instance, an online teaching company might want to include some innovative features to their website by making use of new technologies so that their UX becomes satisfactory in the long run. An eCommerce organization might prefer to alter the outdated version of their site so that it becomes simpler to navigate it. These types of objectives must be established by the businesses before revamping their sites.
In case you hire a competent web design company, they are going to offer a rough plan to you at first for depicting how the site is going to appear. Nevertheless, it will be a good idea to provide them with a reference for exactly what you want.
2. Not evaluating your existing web design
It is quite natural for you to refurbish your website at regular intervals; however, before doing so, it will be imperative for you to be aware of the ins and outs of the site. In case you ask yourself the question of whether your site needs revamping, there ought to be adequate reasons for you to do so.
Make certain to check the site for outdated content and features and also try to comprehend its pain points from the perspective of the visitors. Try to figure out the inconsistencies that might have occurred from time to time.
3. Not ascertaining which technology to use
It is essential to figure out the technology that you should be using while revamping the site. After setting up your final targets and distributing the task among different teams within your company, make certain to comprehend what technology ought to be employed to get the job done within a short period. Try to make use of the latest technology available on the market for refurbishing your site in the best possible way.
For instance, it will be a sensible idea to work with Django in case your site happens to be in Python. On the other hand, React.JS will be your best option if you are focusing on speed.
4. Not building the site for your clients, but the internal audiences
Firstly, your site must satisfy the demands of your existing or prospective customers. These individuals are visiting your website to solve a specific issue. Even though you can easily get caught up while attempting to develop content for your internal team, the site must offer content which your users are going to care about. Make sure to formulate the strategy of your website redesign after clearly understanding the requirements of your audience.
5. Focusing on aesthetics rather than functionality
You need to decide which one to go for – revamp your site in such a manner that it works better and appears better even after the completion of the redesign. However, the fact is that both of these are going to overlap at some point. Attractive looks will not be any replacement for simple navigability and smart layouts. Make sure that the site is fully functional and has proper search as well. This will help the visitors to search for anything they would like to obtain from your company.
6. Not setting a big budget
It might be the fact that you have already performed website refurbishing some four years back; however, it doesn’t imply that you can also get the job done this time within the same budget. Previously, websites were in requirement of online brochures, and that’s all. However, things have changed these days, and companies are competing with one another while trying to provide their customers with astounding web applications having sophisticated functionality.
It will be a folly on your part to hope that you will be paying the identical amount as you did a few years back for revamping your site, given that it needs so many advanced features at present, including fully functional content management systems for enhancing UX. Contemporary websites ought to be customized by custom web design services to become attractive, which is simply a standard.
7. Designing by committee
At present, many companies make the mistake of designing their sites by committee where it is not feasible for a project to progress without the consent of every internal stakeholder. In this way, lots of time can be wasted, and the completion of the project might be delayed in the long run. It will be sensible for the organizations to designate a couple of key decision-makers that will help to facilitate the process.
8. Not being sensible regarding the project’s time expectancy
It is a fact that the designers and developers will be required to face some challenges while redesigning the website. Consequently, it will be difficult to complete the project within a specific timeframe. One must be patient since it might not be possible to stick to the initial deadline. However, this doesn’t imply that it will take ages to complete the project. One must not try to make unwanted haste since this might turn out to be detrimental in the long run. Make sure to figure out the possible hindrances so that they can be fixed one by one.
9. Not focusing on the content
On some occasions, website developers tend to focus on the design of the site instead of the content. In such cases, lots of time, as well as cash, can be wasted in the long run. It can be quite tempting to start redesigning the site without focusing on the content.
However, the proper approach will be to provide attention to the content of your site as well as moderation before anything else. Nothing can be better than creating intriguing content intended for the target audience. This will help to entice folks to your site more than anything else.
10. Not emphasizing mobile-friendliness
It is a fact that an increasing number of people are accessing websites using their smartphones. Consequently, it will be imperative to make the site mobile-friendly as well as responsive. While redesigning the site, ensure that the images, videos, and content are quite appealing as well as user-friendly while viewing it on the mobile device just like it appears on the laptop.
11. Trying to do everything at the same time
It is a fact that companies have lots of targets to accomplish with their sites, and they also try to complete the project within a specified timeframe. However, it will be a good idea to break the project into separate chunks to keep everything on track within the specified budget.
For instance, suppose you own an online outlet, and you would like to create a new site having simplified eCommerce functionality. However, while working on the project, you decide to offer a subscription model for the users such that they will be able to purchase anything on an ongoing basis. Rather than upsetting the scope of the project, consider whether it will be feasible for the website to launch to get the outlet fully operational at first. Following this, it might be a good idea to formulate another phase scope of work for strategizing how to execute the subscription piece most effectively. In this way, the consumers will be capable of making purchases online instead of delaying the launch simply for adding more functionality into the initial phase.
12. Neglecting your clients
You ought to make your clients understand that they are visiting the proper website which is being refurbished by you. Otherwise, they might be of the notion that your company has winded up completely or you have shifted elsewhere. Even after completing your redesign, you ought to make your visitors comprehend that it is the appropriate place for them, and you just made some modifications to your existing site to enhance the experience of the visitors. In this way, it will be possible for you to depict to your customers that you care for them.
Conclusion
All these above-mentioned errors are quite common, and they are likewise quite serious. In case you commit these mistakes, it won’t be possible for your website to satisfy the demands of your clients. Make sure not to make these errors in the future, given that so much time, as well as money, is spent by you for converting the site into a cash-generating device. You will be able to achieve your objectives with the proper strategy as well as competent website design staff. So, watch out for all these bloopers to redesign your site in the best possible way.
