Why is redesigning a website so hard? I want you to imagine your website is getting old. You know it's time for a redesign, but you're hesitant to get started. Maybe you had a project go wrong before–it took forever, you paid a bunch of money, and you didn't get what you wanted. It was a gigantic nightmare.
The good news is: redesigning a website doesn't have to be that difficult. There are a few common reasons why most website design projects go wrong. To find out what those are and how to deal with them keep watching.
Hi, I'm Tom Malesic, founder and President of EZMarketing and you're watching AskEZ. This is where small business owners go to get real answers to their marketing questions.
Why do website projects go so wrong?
1. Lack of Clear Goals
For starters, many times they lack clear goals. We often hear business owners say things like, "My website needs a fresh look" or "It just needs more pop." Your web designer has no idea what that means. It's like telling them to get in the car and just drive without knowing the destination. They don't have a clear direction.
You need to be crystal clear about what you want your website to accomplish. What do you need it to do? Is it to educate visitors, maybe generate leads, or drive sales? By defining a clear end goal you set the direction for the entire project.
We overcome this challenge by kicking off all our website projects with a marketing strategy session. We learn about your business and your customers and then we can help you define clear goals before we start building anything.
2. Picking the Wrong Web Designer
Second, website projects go wrong when you pick the wrong website designer.
The temptation with picking a website designer is to get a few quotes and go with the lowest bidder. But the last thing you want is to be halfway through a website project and realize that they don't have the time or the skill to handle your project.
In some cases, a freelancer or a do-it-yourself website might be the right solution, but for most small businesses we recommend working with a professional web design company. Now before you hire anyone make sure you're asking a lot of questions about their capabilities and experience. You can download our Website Buyer's Guide for details on what questions to ask and how to find the right web designer for your business.
3. Scope of Work Isn't Defined
The third reason projects go wrong is that the scope of work isn't clearly defined. This really comes back to planning again.
Everyone on the project needs to be clear on what's involved and who's responsible. If it's not clear you're probably going to end up going over time and over budget.
One of the first things we do in our planning process is to create a site map, which outlines every single page on your website. The sitemap is like a blueprint; you can't start building without one.
You also want to make sure that you and your web designer have clear expectations for timelines and deliverables. During onboarding, we make sure our clients understand our website design process. We also explain what they should expect from us and what we're going to need from them every step of the way.
4. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
The final problem you might face is that there are too many cooks in the kitchen. When it comes to website design, everyone has their own opinion about how the site should look and what it should say. If there are a lot of stakeholders this can really become a nightmare.
Try to limit the number of people actually making decisions to as few as possible. Ideally, it's just you and your web designer.
Also, keep the overall goal of your website in mind. By focusing on the objective goals rather than subjective opinions, it's easier to keep the project on track. We have a dedicated project manager focused on streamlining decisions and keeping your project running smoothly.
Website Design Made EZ!
So to sum this up, redesigning your website doesn't have to be that difficult if you set clear goals, pick the right web designer, define your scope of work, and streamline your decision-making.
If you're considering redesigning your website let me show you how we can make this process really easy for you! Just click on the link below this video and schedule your free website review. And of course, if you like this video don't forget to like and subscribe.
