If you feel your website is beginning to look a touch outdated, you will want to look into giving it a facelift. Or you could have received negative feedback about the site that caused you to begin contemplating an overhaul.
Aesthetics aside, a website redesign may become inevitable if your current one needs certain updates that are naturally needed over time to function properly. If you hope to change the way your clients or the world, in general, perceive you and your products, you will need to go beyond sprucing up your website.
Your site is only one of the avenues through which your brand is perceived. For a more impactful change of the look and feel of your business, rebranding is necessary. Rebranding and website redesign are different concepts though the former may incorporate the latter.
Different circumstances in the business environment and the available funds will determine which of the two is most practical or ideal for your enterprise.
To Rebrand or to Redesign
Do you want to make your products stand out from the competition? Do you want to completely refresh the image people have of your products or business? A rebrand is probably the way to go, as it will allow you to come up with new signature colors that present your brand as more modern and in touch with what’s in vogue if that’s what you’re hoping to achieve.
If your business has suffered some bad publicity, a rebrand may help you create a new identity that is removed from the negative vibes associated with your current brand. Over time even your most loyal customers can become jaded and desire something new and exciting. You can reward them with a fresh look and feel while assuring them of the same quality they know and trust.
Changes in the tastes and habits of your market niche may force you to adjust your branding accordingly. You may, for instance, want to change your branding so that you appear to be more inclusive and socio-politically conscious in light of the recent agitation for racial and gender acceptance.
A change in the strategic direction of your enterprise may necessitate a rebrand. Such a change may be internal, such as the introduction of a new line of products. It could be external; your company entering into a merger with another entity, for example.
In other circumstances, redesigning your website will be a more apt use of your limited resources. Ask yourself the below questions to know if your site is due for revamping:
How Well Is Your Site Doing on Google’s Results Page Rankings?
In answering this, you should seek to establish how your site and its pages are being indexed. Another important consideration in this regard is how mobile-friendly your website is, given that more users of the Internet are doing so through their smartphones and tablets.
How Good Is Your Content?
Good content means visitors to your site will spend more time on it and be more willing to buy if you’re selling anything on it. Good content will add to your sales indirectly as well.
Google algorithms tend to rank web pages that offer readers valuable information higher in its results pages. This means that more people will be directed to your site from search engines. More users equals more potential buyers.
Rebrand and Redesign Risks
Any kind of change you can think of presents both opportunities and challenges. Rebranding your enterprise has the potential to generate a new wave of excitement around your products, which can result in a jump in sales.
But on the flip side, you risk alienating loyal customers who love your brand as it is. To mitigate the risk of disgruntled diehards, try to involve them in the rebranding process. Use questionnaires and polls to get a feel of the kind of change they would appreciate.
Another way rebranding can be counterproductive is when your new brand fails to consider all the contexts and platforms through which current and potential customers perceive it. You have to, for instance, take into account how your new brand colors and logo will look on mobile devices, not just on your website but on your social media pages.
You can reduce the chances of your new brand bombing on some platforms by involving tried and tested marketing agencies in your sphere of operation. An agency that offers marketing services in New York, for instance, will have the expertise to know how to customize your new brand for different contexts in the Big Apple.
All Angles Considered
Many considerations have to be taken into account when trying to give your business a new identity. Even if you want to limit the changes to your website, you still need to consider all angles before changing anything. Getting expert help will ensure the new look and feel does not have the opposite effect.
