A website redesign is a common component of a new web marketing strategy. It helps to freshen the look and feel as well as better optimize the site for SEO and conversions. We've discussed some business questions that are absolute musts before crafting a web marketing strategy. Now, let's look at 3 things you should have in hand before you hire a web marketing firm for your website redesign.
1 - Revised Site Map
Chances are pretty good that you will want to make some adjustments to the pages that exist on your site. You may want to completely reorganize your site into better sections, or simply fine-tune things a bit. Any way you dice it, you should flesh out a complete sitemap with the following elements for each page:
- H1 Headline - The main topic headline for the page
- Meta Description - An action-oriented description of what's on the page
- Goal - What are you trying to achieve with this page? Is the page necessary?
- What URLs on your current site get the most traffic, and what will their new pages be? - This allows us to redirect valuable traffic to the new pages.
2 - Detailed Explanation of Functionality for Specific Pages
You'd like a small form for prospects to request a quote? OK, great idea! You need to decide what information is on the form, what information is required, what format you want the information in (e.g., phone number as 814.596.0020 or 814-596-0020 or 8145960020), and how you want to receive the quote requests. Maybe you want them emailed to someone in sales. Maybe you want them pumped into your existing CRM, maybe you want them stored in a secure dashboard associated with your site. These are all things that will impact how the site is developed and how much time/money it takes to get what you want.
3 - List of Sites Whose Design You Like & Current Marketing Collateral
It's really important that you have a good list of sites that you like, and maybe sites that you hate. This will give your designer/developer a feel for your aesthetic tastes when it comes to the web. In some cases you'll like the navigation on one site, the logo placement on another site and the subtle use of color on another site. That's fine, as long as you notate what aspects you like about each site.
Another important aspect of the design aesthetic of your site is your current marketing collateral. To maintain a consistent experience with prospects and existing clients, you will want to ensure some of the design elements from your marketing collateral (sales sheets, business cards, tri-folds, presentations, etc...) also appear on your website.
Extra Credit
Looking to be even more prepared? Think about and decide the following ahead of time:
- Do you want a web-based content management system to update your site (YES YOU DO)?
- Do you know all of your online and offline competition?
- What are the keywords and phrases you want to rank for?
- What are some content resources that could be made available on your site in exchange for an email opt-in?
