5 Reasons NOT to Revamp Your Website
“Wait a minute!” you may be saying. “You’re actually giving us reasons not to spend money? Aren’t you a web developer?”
Well, yes. We do develop websites. But, more than anything, we’re focused on integrated, effective marketing–and there are times when redeveloping your site isn’t the most effective thing you can do. (And there are times when it’s absolutely paramount, but that’s the subject of the next post.)
For now, let’s take a look at five common reasons you think you need a website revamp, when in fact you don’t.
Reason 1: We’re tired of the site. This is arguably the #1 reason we hear for unnecessary site revamps. The site is a year or two old, and you see it every time you turn on your computer. It doesn’t seem fresh anymore. It’s boring. Predictable. You’re oh-so-over that design you were head-over-heels for, only 12 months ago.
Well, guess what: you aren’t your customers. They don’t see your site every day. They aren’t over it. In fact, they may just be getting used to it. Now, you’re thinking about pulling the rug out from under them. The end-result can be frustrated customers and a broken brand.
Suggestion: install free qualitative analytics from iPerceptions to see how customers and prospects are using your site, to find out if they’re reaching their goals, and to see where their real frustrations are. If the meter is deep in the green, rethink your plans to revamp the site, unless there are significant functional reasons to do so.
Reason 2: We’d like to add social/video/games to keep the site current. Yep, gotta have that latest Facebook Connect, AddThis badge, Twitter integration, cool embedded YouTube videos, and maybe even a game or two to keep customers on the site.
Or not. Customers aren’t screaming for these features; they’d much rather talk to friends on Facebook and read their favorite celeb tweets on their iPhone; this doesn’t mean they want to be barraged by a ton of things on your single-purpose site–especially when those flashy new features get in the way of buying something.
Suggestion: wait until you have solid, functional reasons for a site revamp, then plan carefully what social features you want to integrate–preferably after running an exit survey to see if your customers even care.
Reason 3: We’re not getting enough traffic. Not enough traffic to the site isn’t the fault of the site; it’s the fault of your outreach program, or lack thereof. What does your outreach look like? Are you running ads? SEO/SEM? Direct? Sponsorships? Social? Creating content? If you answered, “none of the above,” don’t expect to have a high-traffic site.
Suggestion: don’t expect your site content to attract traffic by itself. Always budget for outreach.
Reason 4: We were told by another web developer/agency that we need a new site. Yeah, we bet you were. Web developers tend to pre-emptively dismiss anything they themselves haven’t done, and your ad agency will curl their lip at your site until it has been whipped into their latest brand recipe. So, of course you need a new site.
Or not. Go back to those qualitative analytics. If people are happy with your site, finding what they want, and converting to customers or leads, ignore the fact your site isn’t built with the latest HTML 5 gizmos, and the fact that your current campaign is taking you in a new brand direction. The site it doing its job. Leave it alone.
A suggestion: take a course on analytics, both qualitative and quantitative, to really understand how your site is doing relative to the competition. Then you’ll be ready to ask the hard questions when your agency starts pushing for “change for change’s sake.”
Reason 5: Our competition just launched a new site, OMGWTFBBQ! Yeah, and in other news, time marches on. Yes, your competition will launch new sites from time to time. That doesn’t mean they are in any better shape. In fact, they may have been railroaded into an ill-advised site redevelopment by boredom, an over-aggressive agency, or even the fact you caught them off-guard when you launched your last site, twelve months ago.
You know, the site you’re starting to grow tired of right now.
Now, of course, there are some really good reasons to redevelop your site. Look for those in the next post.
