Much More Than a Website Redesign, Give Your Business a Full Digital Upgrade!

Atlanta website redesign
  • 1:35 pm

LEVEL UP! - Put together a website redesign plan of action this year!

Every 3 years or so it is healthy to take a large step back.  Have a good critical look at reorganizing and improving your business.  How it is organized online. Website redesign used to have a longer shelf life but today that lifespan is shrinking. The internet and the digital world are maturing. 
Changing so fast that for most people it has become quite overwhelming. Remember when business was a sweet spot you acquired? From there you did not want to fix what wasn’t broken right? 
I remember at one point we were number 1 on Google for “Atlanta Web Design” for 5 years! We did not even have to market that much at the time. Wow, have things changed! Competition has sprung up everywhere and you have to stay on your toes to complete online.
 
I was recently taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane looking at the different renditions of websites. Blue Light Labs has had over the years. Using The Wayback Machine internet archive. You can go back years and see what was published in the past. 
I shrunk back in horror after being reminded of all these website upgrades from the past. It puts how far we have come into perspective, that is for sure.
Still to this day I have many of our old T-shirts, business cards, and branded graphic assets that have accumulated in piles of dusty disks and thumb drives. My wife still wears one of the original T-shirts to bed that is so faded you can hardly make out the slogan.
 
It is so important to keep improving and evolving but most of the time we get so wrapped up in our work and day-to-day procedures that it is easy to lose momentum. Falling behind on important internal and external things like your website can come back to haunt you.
 
Website upgrades, marketing opportunities, internal processes, client relations, branding, billing, products, services, even your business’s message, and its culture need to digitally mature throughout your company’s lifespan. 
 
I strongly feel it is important to get the team together every year to take a critical look at each elbow and joint of the business. Brainstorm, propose new upgrades and options and get a plan together. Not only to improve on your efficiency but more importantly to enhance your services, support, and convenience. 

Redesign your website for easy access and speed

Cut out all the clutter and get to the solid points you want to express. Try to get your visitors where they need to be by optimizing your menus and content. There will always be time later to work through the details when you have the prospect in your pocket. 
 
Try to get your visitors to where they need to be without downing them in detail. In other words, get to the point on the important pages. If visitors want to dig into the details put that content on pages of the site that are not as important.
 
A huge mistake I used to make over and over with prospects was trying to explain it all in one breath of a pitch. It took quite some time for me to realize that presenting a solution is different than explaining it.

Adapt new technologies when necessary

New tools and technologies are popping up all the time. It’s a great idea to see what is available and trending before rebuilding your website. You never know until you do some research but some upgrades can end up being huge game-changers that can actually transform how you do business. 
CRM Systems, Marketing Automation Platforms, and SMS gateways have changed how we do business. Utilizing artificial intelligence starting to look like a valuable option as well.

Adapt your website for larger screens and displays

Define and set up additional CSS media quires and breakpoints. Responsive web design now needs to accommodate larger and wider screens. Televisions, widescreen monitors, and projectors can crucify the presentation of your website. 

Adapting new media queries and CSS breakpoints for these devices is becoming a new standard on most upgraded website redesigns. Breakpoints give the web designer control over content and items based mostly on screen width. Elements can be hidden adjusted or expanded on based on wider display types.

Website caching, image and script compression

Use SVG or (Scalable Vector Graphics) and adopt new formats like WebP. SVG is a new XML-based graphic file that is lightweight, but vector-based allowing logos, graphics, icons to scale without losing quality. This can make your site load faster and look cleaner. 

Check to see what PHP version your WordPress or Joomla! CMS is running. PHP and MySQL is the core script language that runs your website check with your hosting provider to see what versions you are running. 

When we upgraded from PHP73 to PHP74 there was a noticeable change in our site loading speed. These upgrades are also important for strengthening your site’s security. 

Consider using advanced page caching and compress your images, CSS and JavaScript. The faster your website loads the more prospect engagements will happen. Getting your site loading as fast as possible will aid in lowering your bounce rate that will, in turn, help your organic ranking results.

Website chat and messaging plugins

Take advantage of chat and get more communication channels open. Today there are more options to work with other than a standard contact form on your website. You can interact with clients and prospects via chat on your website and many other business social profiles. It gives visitors a channel to engage and ask questions directly. 

Most of these can be set up quite simply to notify you on your phone when there is a new request. Messaging and chat can also be enabled on your Google Business Listing, Facebook Company Page, and other platforms. 

Importance of upgrading website security

Website Security is no longer optional. Security is no joke today and threats are becoming more and more frequent. Servers get bogged down and sites get hacked consistently every day. 

Most of the time without the website owner even knowing it is happening until it is too late. Installing a firewall and website scanner can cut down on these attacks as well as reduce the load on your server. 

Most attacks are carried out by robots looking for a vulnerability then reporting back to their creators when they find one. Make sure your web designer or developer has a good understanding of website security and that they have the tools to keep your site protected from attaches.

Tweak and optimize your onboarding for new website prospects

Starting from the beginning, take a good look at your prospect’s journey. Beginning from the referral, phone call, website, email campaign, or in-person introduction all the way to having a solid long-term satisfied client. Then ask yourself “What can I do to improve each part of their journey as well as optimize my own?” 

When onboarding a new web design client our website facilitates as a fast, easy to access hub where prospects and clients alike can quickly schedule a video meeting or get additional information about our services.
While redesigning our website, the primary objectives were to introduce, educate and engage new prospects but on the same note offer important resources to active customers.
 
With no more than a name and an email address, a visitor receives our welcome email. Depending on the page they are on or the service of interest a text or email strategically designed to take them through the journey is put into action. 

The welcome email sent out has all the information they need to get a clear idea on who we are and how our service works. Shortly after we follow up with each prospect with another email taking them through the next step in the onboarding process.
 
This is a great example of how you can tweak your website’s call to action and implement automated responses to make life easier for your prospects as well as yourself.
 

Upgrade and refresh all your other online business profiles

All your other published profiles Google Business, Facebook, Linked In, YouTube Channel, Instagram might need some TLC as well. Keep them fresh with new posts and industry information. If you have changed your branding, try to make sure it stays consistent across all these platforms. Get some content out there! Post about things in your industry or updates on what is happening at your company. If your company descriptions are out of date, consider revising them.

If you would like to discuss your website upgrade options with us feel free to start a chat, call us direct, or click below to schedule a strategy session.

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