SEO Guides, Tips & More!

Redesigning your company’s website is often a marketer’s dream project. The opportunity to create a website based on your vision is an exciting time. There is also the feeling of apprehension and being overwhelmed when one considers the depth of the project. While there are a lot of steps involved in a site redesign, it is important to understand some pre-planning you can do before starting the project. Careful consideration of what you want the site to do, how it should work, and what content will be needed goes a long way. It is a mistake to rely on your web agency to give you all the answers. After all, this is your company/firm’s new site and no one on the team knows the company/firm better than you. To help clients, prospects, and others prepare for the redesign, FlashPoint Marketing has provided a summary of the key information below.

• Finalize Your Sitemap – A sitemap is needed before most web agencies will bid on your web project. The reason for this is because, without this critical information, they have no idea how big the website will be, how many templates need to be developed, and how to organize information. It is akin to building a house with no blueprints or design specifications and just making decisions as you go. I can’t imagine any construction company committing to a budget under such circumstances.
• Design Direction – If the site is being custom designed then you will need to provide the web agency with some design direction. This should include what type of information you want to see on a specific page, so they can create the necessary wireframes. It should also include examples of design aspects and elements you would like to see on the new site. I often ask clients to search the web for examples of designs they like and to provide narrative detailing why they appreciate each element. This helps the web agency not only understand what you are looking for but also provides a framework for which minor designs can be made against. In other words, the more information you provide in the design direction, the happier you will be during the process.
• Functionality Scope – Clearly identifying what functionality you would like to have on your new website is critical. A web agency will not be able to bid on your project without a clear understanding of what you want your website to do. Some firms want the ability to add contact and subscribe forms, password protect content, print partner bios to pdfs, and even create a payment gateway on their site. We worked with one firm that sold training videos and needed to have the proper functionality to make that work. Think about what you want the site to do and how it can be accomplished. The more details you have, the easier it will be for your web agency to meet your expectations.
• Content Plan – I have found it very helpful when a client has carefully considered website content. Sometimes during a redesign, new pages are added, and old ones are deleted. Before starting the project, be sure there is a plan in place to have the new content written, edited, and approved as early as possible. The last thing you want to do is not have all the content present on the site at launch because you missed the content delivery deadline. This happens more often than most would think.

If you are waiting on budget approval, or are currently seeking a web agency, then it is important to ensure these steps are thoughtfully addressed. The more time put into these areas before the start of the project, the more smoothly the process will run. If you have questions about preparing for a redesign or are considering a make-over of your site, FlashPoint Marketing can help. For additional information click here to contact us.