Secrets to a Successful Website Redesign (Webinar Slides)

Presented by

Presenter Bios | Synecore

Jacey Gulden@jaceyle igh

Synecore’s Web Designer / Brand Journal ist

Spencer Ploessl@Spenceaf ied

Synecore’s Designer / Digital Marketer

Inside Today’s Presentat ion

Sett ing GoalsMapping out NeedsContentDesignTestingAnalysisOther...Secrets!

STEP 01: SET GOALS

Every website redesign should begin with some kind of goal in mind. Being clear about your goals from the start is helpful when it comes to deciding how to move forward with your new website.

Reasons For a Website Redesign

Good ReasonsI want to improve my usability.

I need to realign my website with my new brand strategy.

I want to make my site responsive.

I want to incorporate a better content strategy.

Bad ReasonsI’m bored with my current design.

I want to become more competitive.

I want to start over.

I want to gain more traffic.(It’s not traffic that’s important, it’s conversions)

Converting More Web Visitorsto Leads/Customers

Reducing Bounce Rate

Build a Bigger Subscriber List

Increase number of unique visitors

Examples of Good Quantifiable Goals

SECRET 01

Ask for feedback.If you can, find out what your current customers (and employees) like and dislike about your current site.

STEP 02: MAP OUT YOUR NEEDS

Website Functionality and Flow

Once you have clarified your goals, it becomes much easier to discuss necessary website functionality and flow. If you want to increase your subscribers, build a subscription form that emails the individual to confirm their subscription and then inputs their information into a lead database that will send them emails.

Functionality Perspective:Goals = Necessary Website Functions

Example: Brand Considering Goals & User Flow

Shown is an example of a brand considering goals and user flow. Moxy Monitor is a fitness device; their ultimate goal is to convert website visitors into customers (purchasing the device). They need to consider what information each buyer persona needs in order to make that purchase.

Create a Site Map

Creating a site map is important for two reasons: inventory of current site pages (this helps with SEO and redirects if necessary after launch) and it establishes the structure for your new site and gives visual representation of what content/assets you will need to move forward.

Don’t be afraid to look for inspirationfrom your competition & other sites.

SECRET 02

STEP 03: CONTENT

Content Should Come Before Design

“The mobile web is far more restrictive, eclectic and unstable than other contexts. By first creating an experience that prioritizes a worst-case mobile scenario, you ensure that your users will be able to accomplish their goals despite a lot of factors working against them. Scaling up from the mobile context versus scaling down from the desktop context ensures that your message, content and functionality remain intact as the screen real estate and connection speed increase.”

http://bradfrostweb.com/blog/web/mobile-first-responsive-web-design/

Content Considerations

Looking to reinvent yourself? You’re going to want to go back to your website goals and make sure that your new content strategy aligns with your brand messaging. Here are a few things to think about when developing or re-vamping content:

The message you want to send to your visitors & how

you want to send the message. (ie: video, images, text)

The voice you want to use to communicate.

Is your content easy to understand and does the

customer know what to do next?

Blogging is Important

92% of companies who blog multiple times per day have acquired a customer from their blog.

(Source: HubSpot)

SEO is changing!

SECRET 03

SECRET 03

Old SEO New SEO Future SEOSearch Engine show sites with most relevant content based on keywords found in headers and tags on page &

in meta descriptions.

Search Engines favor fresh and original content that address the problems, needs, and wants of

your target audience.

Semantic Search: Heightened focus on conversational concepts surrounding an idea, rather than singular keywords themselves.

Thinking of optimizing your website for key phrases in order to help that page rank as a result? Forget about it. As Google continues to evolve, so has the capabilities (and limitations) of its search engine. With algorithm updates focusing on the human perspective of search, businesses are being forced to shift away from the traditional use of SEO as a marketing tactic, and instead focus more on the content that drives it.

STEP 04: DESIGN

Let’s Have Some Fun!

Here is a picture of what our design process looks like.

Discovery Brainstorm Wireframe/Mockups Design Development

Responsive Web Design

From Desktop to smartphone, your website should provide users with a seamless experience, allowing them to easily access the same information no matter what the device. With Responsive Web Design, brands can integrate mobile into their online presence to create a truly cohesive user experience.

In 2012, the average number of unique screen resolutions was 97.

As of 2013, that number has gone up to 232 and continues to rise!

#DesignerProblems

SECRET 04

SECRET 04

1% clicked a feature. Of those, 89% were the first position. 1% of clicks for the most significant object on the home page?

nd.edu stats by @erunyon

Common issues I have run into in the past as a web designer: sliders/carousels, above the fold and use of stock images.

http://shouldiuseacarousel.com/

STEP 05: TESTING & ANALYSIS

Cover All Of Your Bases

When you feel that your website is almost ready for public viewing, it’s time for beta testing. At a minimum, this process should include:

GRAB YOURS N OW

Form Testing

Ensure all forms submitand output the correct data.

Look for broken links to internal and external pages.

Link Testing

Check for grammar and spelling errors; ensure that all placeholder

text has been replaced.

Final Edits to CopyCross Browser Testing

Test in all target web browsers such as:

SafariFirefoxChrome Internet Explorer

Resources

http://www.crazyegg.com/ https://www.mouseflow.com/ http://www.usertesting.com/

Here are a few good online testing resources:

Crazyegg mouseflow UserTesting

Your redesign might not be perfect -at first.

SECRET 05

As a Recap

Sett ing GoalsMapping out NeedsContentDesignTestingAnalysis

QUESTIONS?

THANKS

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