We recently had a client do a complete overhaul of their website. New templates, new copy, new CTA buttons, new sitemap—a complete redesign. As anyone who has been through one of these major re-designs knows, it takes a lot of prepping, planning and time to execute a brand new website. When it was all over the client said to me, “I feel like I just gave birth.” She was so proud of all of the months of hard work and the constant emails and edits and approvals that she was gleaming as if looking at a new baby. Now, anyone who has given actual birth would probably laugh in her face (maybe even throw a punch), but we did see the correlation between putting all of your energy into something and getting a really great result.
And as many mothers in the past have said after giving birth, “I’m never doing that again!”… you would be surprised as to how many go on to have a second, third, fourth, and maybe even a fifth child. The same thing will happen with your website—you are most likely going to redesign that website many more times over the years.
This brings us to our own personal experience, as we have done many website redesigns for clients. She was right! Website redesigns are exhausting and take a lot of energy to complete, but they are well worth it. We also realized, just like raising a child and teaching them to grow, we also need to help our websites grow!
Here are 5 ways to keep your website growing and working for your business:
What we mean is that there should be a purpose to every page of your website, and each page should be dedicated to one topic or keyword. Giving the visitor a nice and easy experience is what keeps them coming back. Don’t confuse the visitor by trying to stuff a dozen concepts or topics onto one page.
There is so much more to a website redesign than pretty colors and pictures! It’s about giving the visitor an answer to their pain. That’s why they did a search to begin with and landed on your business website. Why would you let that eyeball trail off and exit out of the window? Once you have their attention, give them more relevant and insightful information to convert them into a lead.
You would be surprised at how many website “audits” we do that make us peck and hunt for their contact information. This can also come in the form of a “learn more” or “let’s talk” or even “get a free demo." Sometimes the creativity you put into the way someone can contact you will get them to fill out that form.
The worst possible thing you can do after a website redesign is to lose your engine power by not adding fresh content to your website. The best way to do this is by blogging, and search engines LOVE fresh and insightful content! In fact, businesses that blog constantly around a keyword strategy tend to get ranked higher than companies that do not blog. Let’s face it, if you’re not proving yourself as the thought leader in your industry than you are missing the boat on getting more visitors.
In tools like HubSpot, we are able to analyze every page of my website, from monthly views, to how well that page is ranking in search engines. If you don’t have a tool that is able to analyze your page performance, then run out and get one! How will you know what your most popular pages are, or what pages have major problems with them? In order to keep doing what works or get rid of what’s not working, you must be measuring and analyzing.
A website is like a living thing that needs to be nurtured. When you're continually looking after your site, you can expect results!