Is it time to refresh your website? Websites gradually become stagnant and outdated as website standards and design trends come and go. Therefore, it’s a good idea to refresh your site on occasion. If your website hasn’t been refreshed in a while, now may be a good time to consider giving it an update.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you prepare to refresh your web design:
Information Architecture
A design refresh is an ideal time to evaluate your information structure. The information structure defines the content you are presenting, the context it will be presented in as well as how your users will be able to interact with your website. When sitting down with your web designer, you may want to evaluate your existing information structure and make changes as necessary to improve your website.
Design Objectives
It’s easy to overlook design objectives when you’re thinking about colors, typography, graphics and other design elements. However, a website refresh will not be very beneficial if you neglect to lay out a set of design objectives with your web designer. What do you want your website to achieve for your business? Discuss your goals with your web designer clearly define the objectives for your website refresh.
Brand Identity
Any time you refresh your web design, you’ll need to stay focused on your brand identity. While your brand may evolve over time, you need to maintain your brand identity. You don’t want the refresh to be so drastic that your existing customers don’t recognize your brand upon their arrival to your newly designed website.
User Expectations
Along with maintaining your brand identity, you want to be mindful of user expectations when refreshing your website design. User expectations shift over time as web standards and best practices change. The key is to work with your web designer to ensure that your website refresh enhances its overall usability.
Timeless vs. Trendy
When you sit down to refresh your web design, you’ll be faced with a decision between timeless and trendy. While one business may benefit from a small update to its timeless design, another business may benefit from a trendy new design altogether.
For example, a law firm’s website may want to opt for a timeless design, while an eCommerce website that sells lifestyle products may want to go with the latest design trends. It’s worth pointing out that trendy designs need to be refreshed more frequently than timeless designs simply because design trends can change quickly.
