Your company’s website is the single biggest vehicle for communicating your brand messaging to the marketplace. But like any other vehicle, after a few years you might find that certain parts need to be replaced, while other parts have stopped working altogether.

If your company is encountering one or more of the following challenges with your website, it’s probably time to make a change:

You have new brand colours or a new logo

As soon as you undergo a rebrand, your website needs to reflect the change. Consistency is the key to great B2B marketing.

Your conversion rates are low

Low conversion numbers are an indication that your website isn’t providing enough value to your customers. Is the information poorly organized or not easily accessible? Don’t make your clients perform extra work just to find the data they need.

Your site isn’t optimized for mobile

Mobile now accounts for 65% of digital time[1], and research has shown that if your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, a whopping 57% of mobile users[2] will abandon the site entirely. 
It’s crucial that your website works on this platform.

Your site was built with outdated tools

For instance, if your website was built in Flash, it’s likely to influence slow load times. Additionally, Flash sites do not work[3] on Apple products like iPads and iPhones. Other tools like QR codes and CMS that is difficult to update should be overhauled entirely and replaced with current, easy to use features and systems.

Depending on the severity of your challenges, you’ll either need to begin formulating a plan for a refresh (re-skin with a new design but keep existing functionality) or a complete rebuild (demolition and reconstruction of the back-end functionality to improve load times, add new tools, etc.).

Though there isn’t one singular formula for success, following these 5 steps will keep your team on track and assist in creating a brand new web presence that accomplishes all your online goals.

1. Ask Your Clients.

The customer is always right! Talk to your customers about their experience of your current website. What do they like? What do they feel is lacking? Is there a challenge they face during your interactions that could be solved through additional online functionality?

2. Set Your Goals.

What is the intention of the redesign? More sales? More leads? More downloads? Begin by carefully considering your goals for the website, then prioritize them in order of importance.

3. Design for the End User.

Now that you know what your customers would like to see on your website, you can begin to create different strategies to deliver that functionality. It’s of paramount importance that you carefully consider the organization of content on the new website. Not only have products changed over time, but the way that they are displayed online has changed significantly as well. Content optimized for mobile will need to be reduced, and organized to be easily scanned on the smaller visual platform of a Smartphone. Break copy out into lists, bullet points, and small sections to keep mobile readers interested.

4. Create Content.

As we discussed in our last post, crafting the voice of your brand online is extremely important in retaining existing and approaching new customers. Add value to your clients’ online experience by providing them with stellar content that’s both interesting and useful.

At this stage, you’ll want to address the issue of SEO. Think about your strategy for updating the content on your site: Will you have a blog? What are your keywords? Who will write the blog for you? Refreshing content frequently is the clearest path to better rankings on Google.

5. Test it Out.

A/B testing[4] is an excellent way to determine whether a new design is serving the purpose you intended it to. It’s also a great way to make your clients feel included in the process, letting them know that you’re always on the hunt for ways to serve them better.

At The Mezzanine Group, we’ve been creating results-oriented web solutions based on solid B2B marketing strategies for over ten years. We’ve seen the evolution of mobile and understand how to capture the market share our clients deserve through a combination of cutting edge technology and timeless visual design. If your company is considering redesigning your website, reach out to us today for a consultation with one of our B2B marketing specialists.

References: 

[1] Marketing Land, “All Digital Growth Now Coming from Mobile Usage”, http://marketingland.com/digital-growth-now-coming-mobile-usage-comscore-171505

[2] Huffington Post, “5 Reasons You Absolutely Must Optimize Your Website for Mobile”, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-mills/5-reasons-you-absolutely-_b_5122485.html

[3] Entrepreneur, “How Often Should You Update or Rebuild Your Website?”, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251652 

[4] Content Square, “5 Reasons to A/B Test Your Website”, http://blog.contentsquare.com/abtestyourwebsite/