Website Redesign Tips That Should Not Be Overlooked
August 21, 2013
When freshening up an old website with a redesign, it is very easy to lose focus on the bigger picture. Many business owners get caught up in the fun design elements that make their website more visually appealing, and forget that they need to put just as much time and energy into other online marketing components that really matter, such as content, website functionality and search engine optimization. For this reason, it is extremely important that businesses work with an online marketing team that specializes in a variety of areas as opposed to a team composed purely of designers. Doing so ensures that you will receive the very best comprehensive website design in Phoenix or another city.
Whether you decide to work with an online marketing team or have all of the skills to complete a redesign yourself, it is important that you address all of the necessary components in order to be successful. The following list should be taken into consideration throughout the process of your redesign:
- Research. Any redesign plans should not be drafted or implemented until thorough research has been performed. This research includes market research to better understand how to reach your market and keyword research to improve keyword rankings. Having this research prior to drafting plans for your redesign will help you to create the best custom website in Phoenix or wherever your business may be located.
- Structure. When redesigning your website, take the opportunity to shake up your site structure in a way that allows for easier navigation and increased conversions. Looking at your old website, analyze the effectiveness of the structure by comparing the pages with high conversion to those with higher bounce rates. This will help you to locate any problems with your current structure, so you can reorganize it to produce better online marketing results.
- Redirects. Before starting your redesign, be sure to take inventory of every page and backlink on your old site. The URL structure will change with a new site, so you must redirect all traffic to your new pages in order to retain the SEO rankings you earned previously. While you may easily be able to compile a list of pages on your site, backlinks may be trickier. To locate all of your backlinks, it is recommended that you make use of an online program designed to do just that.
- Navigation. Navigation through your website, both for search engines and users, is extremely important when creating a custom website in Phoenix. Search engines require a simple URL structure and sitemap that allows them to understand what your pages are about, so they can give you the appropriate keyword rankings. These keyword rankings are important as they determine your visibility on the search engine results page, directly affecting the amount of traffic being sent to your website. Once users are on your site, it is also important that the navigation be set up in a way that allows users to easily move through the pages of your site, leading to an increase in conversions. Navigation is key to the success of a custom website in Phoenix.
- Content. Content is a key component to the success of an online marketing campaign. Many of the best website designs in Phoenix include an area for a blog as blogs are great online marketing tools that allow businesses to easily provide users with fresh content on a regular basis. In addition to providing valuable, interesting content for users, blogs are also great for search engine optimization as they are often sprinkled with keywords to increase keyword rankings and drive traffic back to the site. Taking content into consideration prior to a site redesign will help you to create the best website design in Phoenix.
- Search Engine Optimization. When redesigning your website, it is important to remember to use a repertoire of white hat search engine techniques to improve your page in the eyes of the search engines. Improving the speed, navigation, coding and more will help your keyword rankings to improve, increasing visibility and driving traffic to your site.
The above tips will help to keep you on the right track in creating the best website design in Phoenix or wherever your business may be located.
If you are interested in creating a custom website in Phoenix or another city, consider enlisting the help of the online marketing professionals at Fasturtle. Our experts have a broad range of online marketing specialties, including search engine optimization, social media and website design. We have worked with hundreds of businesses in a wide variety of industries to create integrated online marketing campaigns, which include building brand new or redesigned custom websites in Phoenix. To learn more about online marketing for your business in Phoenix or another city throughout the country, call Fasturtle at (888) 468-8785 or contact us online.