4. Have your competitors redesigned in the last year?
If yes, you need to at least consider a redesign. If they did their work poorly, you may be able to stick with your current design. But if their redesign allows them to do things that you can’t or if they can provide services or goods in ways that are more user-friendly and you can’t match them, it’s time to redesign. If you do decide to redesign, use your competitors as a benchmark, but aim higher and learn from their mistakes. (You know they made mistakes.)
5. Have different parts of your organization (departments, divisions, branches or whatever they call themselves) launched separate Web sites in the last year that are not part of your overall strategy?
If yes, it’s time to corral them. Having too many Web sites delivering even slightly different messages can blur your priorities and dilute the power of your brand. Your redesign should aim to create an overall brand look and feel; it should also provide one set of tools for all to use (that will meet everyone’s needs) but still give each Web site enough freedom to develop its own personality and meet its particular audience’s needs.
6. Any time you want to make a change on your site, no matter how small, do you need to call in a technical expert?
If yes, it’s time to redesign. Nowadays, audiences expect so much of Web sites — including new, useful content regularly, if not daily. No organization can meet that audience need if it has to rely on technicians or technologists to make every change.
7. Has it been more than three years since your last redesign?
If yes, what are you waiting for? … Three years! Incredible changes have occurred in the last three years. We are not talking about out-of-style Internet colors; we are thinking of new technologies that did not exist even two years ago, much less three years ago. Blogging was in its infancy three years ago. MySpace and YouTube did not exist three years ago. More importantly, the number of high-speed, or broadband, Internet connections three years ago amounts to just a fraction of those today. That means your audiences have become accustomed to functions and services (from other sites, if not yours); if you cannot offer them, you are testing their loyalty. And Web visitors have proven themselves incredibly impatient and fickle.
You Might Need to Redesign Your Web Site If …
4. Have your competitors redesigned in the last year?
If yes, you need to at least consider a redesign. If they did their work poorly, you may be able to stick with your current design. But if their redesign allows them to do things that you can’t or if they can provide services or goods in ways that are more user-friendly and you can’t match them, it’s time to redesign. If you do decide to redesign, use your competitors as a benchmark, but aim higher and learn from their mistakes. (You know they made mistakes.)
5. Have different parts of your organization (departments, divisions, branches or whatever they call themselves) launched separate Web sites in the last year that are not part of your overall strategy?
If yes, it’s time to corral them. Having too many Web sites delivering even slightly different messages can blur your priorities and dilute the power of your brand. Your redesign should aim to create an overall brand look and feel; it should also provide one set of tools for all to use (that will meet everyone’s needs) but still give each Web site enough freedom to develop its own personality and meet its particular audience’s needs.
6. Any time you want to make a change on your site, no matter how small, do you need to call in a technical expert?
If yes, it’s time to redesign. Nowadays, audiences expect so much of Web sites — including new, useful content regularly, if not daily. No organization can meet that audience need if it has to rely on technicians or technologists to make every change.
7. Has it been more than three years since your last redesign?
If yes, what are you waiting for? … Three years! Incredible changes have occurred in the last three years. We are not talking about out-of-style Internet colors; we are thinking of new technologies that did not exist even two years ago, much less three years ago. Blogging was in its infancy three years ago. MySpace and YouTube did not exist three years ago. More importantly, the number of high-speed, or broadband, Internet connections three years ago amounts to just a fraction of those today. That means your audiences have become accustomed to functions and services (from other sites, if not yours); if you cannot offer them, you are testing their loyalty. And Web visitors have proven themselves incredibly impatient and fickle.