It might be time for a site redesign

by: Gary Steffins

How do you know if your site is out of shape... and in serious need of a new workout?

This condition is generally due to a lack of exercise and eating too many chips, well... not really, but pretty close. Think of us as your site's personal trainer, so don't take it personal... this is business. Here are some of the top symptoms your site could be suffering from:

Site atrophy has set in.

Your site has been sitting around doing nothing for too long. The number of visitors hitting your site and returning to your site has dropped. Redesigning a site that has fresh content and a fresh new look generates a lot of traffic, keeping your site's muscles energized and ready to dish it out to your competition.

Lack of vision fulfillment.

Sometimes you just miss the mark and your original objectives are not met. For example, if revenue or cost objectives are not being met, you may need to go back to the drawing board, and refocus your web strategy and business plan.

You're getting booed from the audience.

Customers tell you the site is difficult to use or they're simply not getting your message. Your users may not even find out how to contact you. Website usability was for the most part overlooked by most developers and designers during the web boom of the late 90's. You don't want your site wasting time throwing a lot of bad jabs and punches; you'll wear your user out in the first round!

You're still using the "ThighMaster".

Face it: technology advances rapidly. Gordon Moore's Law states the amount of information storable on a given amount of silicon has roughly doubled every year since the technology was invented. Are you missing the opportunities with the latest technology? If you answer is yes, you probably want to update your site.

You've gotten bigger, but still look like the skinny kid you were in Jr High.

There are many ways a company will change and grow. Many companies change their collateral material every season, develop new ad campaigns, even go global, and their site's content remains the same for years. Your site may need to be revamped to reflect your new market position to attract new clients and users.

You're lacking any punch.

Let's say you've got a great "brochure" site, but it doesn't do anything. There are many ways you can add to your site that doesn't require a complete redesign. Add some dynamic content to your site to generate stickiness, and generate interest.

You're big... but you're too slow.

This can mean two things: either your site is too graphical and it takes too long to load, or your site has just become too bloated from years of additions. Either way we can make you a mean, streamlined machine. First, we design sites with the user in mind, keeping graphics looking sharp and meaningful, but optimizing pages so they are not bandwidth monsters. Second, if you have a lot of information on your site, we plan from the beginning to database your content, so you can easily make additional pages on the fly without creating hundreds of html pages, saving you time and money.

So what are you going to do about it?

Make BlueDarter your personal trainer, and get your site back in shape!
Call us today at 770-458-3550 and talk to one of our consultants.