A website redesign can sometimes be necessary for businesses, especially if they are falling behind in several critical areas, such as lead generation, sales, and more. But, before revamping your website, it is essential to distinguish between two things — is your website in dire need of a website redesign or are you thinking of website redesign because you think it is time for a change?
If you said yes to the latter, here is what you need to know: Users Hate Change! If your website is performing well, consider making several small modifications to your website to realign the website with your company’s vision. In case you still think that a complete website redesign may be necessary, answer the following questions:
- Are you rebranding?
- Will your customers become frustrated over a major website redesign?
- Do you have all the answers you require from customer feedback to make a drastic change to your website?
- Is there a way you can reduce the costs of a complete website redesign by making small modifications to a major feature of your website?
- What are the obvious issues you see with the current website design in terms of navigation and functionality?
- What are your competitors doing?
- What are some of the common complaints you receive from customers about your website?
- Does the website redesign fit into your content strategy and SEO?
Answers to some of these questions, should drive the decision between a complete or partial website redesign. If you are unsure, you can answer these questions with the help of a professional and experienced web design agency.
If you know for a fact that you need to hire a website design agency for a complete website redesign, you need to choose a capable agency with considerable experience.
7 Tips for Choosing the Right Web Design Agency to Redesign Your Website
If you are choosing to go with a complete website redesign, you need to follow these tips to choose the right website design Melbourne agency:
Do They Redesign Websites with a Purpose?
You will come across a number of website design agencies that design visually attractive websites, but you should heavily consider an agency that designs with a purpose. The website design agency that you choose needs to understand the following:
- Your current and future business and online objectives
- The types of users that will visit your website
- The key pieces of information that are important to your users
- The ease of use for users to navigate your website and find the information they require easily
The website design agency should already know the answers to these questions, using them to create your homepage, finding images to add to your website, and structuring your menu. Other important elements that they will add to your website may include call to action buttons, testimonials, blog content, videos, and icons.
Is Responsive Website Design a Second Thought?
Responsive website design is one of the integral elements of a website. A responsive website design should not be an agency’s afterthought, but their first thought. Both Google and users love responsive website design, as it makes the website user-friendly.
Most of the search traffic comes from mobile phones and other handheld devices. You can select a website design agency by viewing their website from your mobile phone to determine how user-friendly their website is. Some of the issues to look for include hard-to-read text or small text, cut-off images, glitchy navigation, and if the website is not optimised for mobile phones and handheld devices. If you find one or more of these issues with their website, you need to carefully evaluate if they are the right credible fit.
Do They Have Experience in Redesigning Websites for Your Industry?
You need to hire a web design Melbourne agency with experience in working for businesses in your industry. While this is not entirely critical, having this subject matter expertise if certainly helpful. If they have built websites for businesses in the same industry as yours, they will have a better idea of what your website needs and who your target market is that you are trying to attract to your website.
Choose the Website Design Agency that Go the Extra Mile for You?
Go with a website design agency that puts their customers first. They work alongside you to ensure you achieve success through your website. They communicate to you at every stage, providing you with constructive feedback, suggestions, and recommendations while also listening to you even if at times their opinions and views differ from yours. Before you hire them to redesign your website, you need to ask their previous customers and read reviews to understand the level of service and satisfaction they provided.
Are They Helpful and Efficient in Responding to Your Questions about Your Website?
Whether you have a simple or complex website redesign, the web design Melbourne agency needs to have the expertise to answer your questions. They should answer your questions in a professional manner even if you ask a very basic question.
Consider for the agency to address a concern of yours quickly. Irrespective of whether you are looking to launch your newly- designed website in a few months, they should answer your promptly instead of taking days to get back to you, both before and after you may have engaged them.
Do They Implement an Easy-to-Use CMS?
Most website design agencies implement WordPress or other similar CMS that are easy to use for people without technical expertise. You should be able to update your website easily later, especially in instances where you need to upload an announcement or remove something from the website such as a dated event, a page, an image etc.
You do not want to run into issues using the CMS. Some issues you can experience with a proprietary CMS, is that it may not be user-friendly and include limited SEO capabilities, an inability to add the latest elements to a page, no integration with other systems, continuing system maintenance and security, inability to edit images, and not mobile-friendly. You will need to determine the type of CMS an agency uses and the level of access and ownership you have over your own website.
Are They Enjoyable to Work With?
You do not want to work with a website design Melbourne agency that will make a fuss when you ask them to make a last-minute design change to your website. You want to enjoy working with them, as there is potential for a long-lasting relationship. Again, you can ask for references and talk to their previous clients or read any reviews left by them on the website design agency’s social media platforms.
Are you still not sure if you need a website redesign? The next section should help you determine whether you need a website redesign or not.
Do You Need a Complete Website Redesign?
You will need a complete website redesign if one or more of the following applies to you:
Outdated Website
An outdated website can hurt your sales, especially if users have a choice to shop from you or your competitors. Users want to shop from a website that looks nice and is easy to use. They will not buy from a website with an outdated design.
Unresponsive Website
If your website is not optimised for mobile phones, it can create a problem for users, as most of them use their mobile phones to search for a website and place their order or lodge an enquiry. You should hire a web design agency that can create a responsive website design. This will allow users to access your website from a variety of different electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and more.
Difficult Navigation
If users are unable to navigate different pages of your website, it will leave a bad impression on them and they would probably not visit your page again. In fact, they will close your website and visit your direct competitor. To be user-friendly, your website needs to have the latest features that provide users with a good browsing experience on your website. Website speed is also key.
Does Not Represent Your Latest Business and Marketing Strategy
- Complete Website Redesign
If your business and marketing strategy has changed, your website should reflect that. If your website does not reflect it, you need to proceed with a complete website redesign. This is extremely important for those clients who visit your website before they send you an email or contact you by phone.
Unable to Update Content
If you cannot update the content of your website easily, you will find it difficult to stay in the game. You should be able to add how-to instructions, tutorials, videos, and text to your website without any trouble. If your website is not optimised for SEO, you need to ask the website design company to look at that area as well, which they may have already taken into consideration ahead of the redesign of your website.
Website Features Do Not Function
If the features of your website do not function, users will leave your website. You should ensure every feature operates and functions as it should, from call to action buttons to enquiry forms.
If you’re considering a redesign and uncertain where to start, commence with an obligation free consultation with a reliable and reputable web design Melbourne agency.
