We do a lot of from-the-ground-up website redesigns for clients, and most times that’s really the only solution. But sometimes we encounter a client who thinks their site needs a total redesign, when what’s really needed is more …well, evolutionary. And if they have an established brand with a reasonably high percentage of repeat visitors to their site, a complete overhaul can actually be counterproductive.
Just came across a post by Brendan Regan over at FutureNow that lays this all out quite clearly. Brendan reminds us that users (i.e.: your customers and prospects) really hate change and love the familiar, even if we as marketers may be sick of how our site looks; so it’s really important that a total overhaul be undertaken only if truly needed.
In many cases, usability testing will reveal problem points on the website, where relatively small changes may greatly improve conversion. Also, content can be updated, and design features freshened with a simple re-skin. But full-bore redesigns should only be done with a clear ROI improvement target in mind, and not simply because internal stakeholders have fallen out of love with the existing site’s look and feel.
How to break the cycle of too-frequent total teardowns? Brendan suggests…
- Get the basic design right the first time, so that it can live several years with relatively minor updates. A good (re)design is one that can stay fresh and current for several years, and accommodate a process of continuous improvement and incremental change.
- Build flexibility into your design, so that you always have a “to do list” of small improvements you can implement each month to incrementally build on your successes.
