Our Website Sucks
"Our website sucks."
How many times have you heard that?
I can't even count how many times I've heard it. And most of the time it's followed by something like, "We're working on a new site, and it should be much better." It's not too long after the new site's up when it, too, loses its luster. Then, once again, marketing and sales slip back into website apologist mode.
Given the fact that most companies are constantly undergoing some sort of website re-design process, how can marketing and sales align to make the outcome more effective? After all, the company website is often times the single most visible facet of a company.
Here are 5 non-technical things to consider once you begin wading into your next website re-design:
- Marketing and sales need to meet at the same table and discuss the vision of the new site. The salespeople are eager to move prospects through the funnel and get orders. The marketing team wants to support sales, but also needs to preserve the brand image and showcase products in a methodical manner. A website re-design meeting won't be pretty, but it will help to define internal priorities.
- Interview customers and prospects to find out what they want to see on the website. Prospects will want to see more content, more examples of the company's work, and demo videos that save them time. Customers might want access to reporting and other self-service functionality. Prospects and customers are arguably your most important stakeholders.
- Do some user experience studies. They don't have to be ultra formal. Just get 'em done! You will uncover issues you didn't even realize you had. It's easy to become myopic with the re-design and forget about common sense. The result of doing the studies is that you build a website with a better user experience.
- Don't be afraid to let usability and functionality trump the visual design aspects of your site. Sometimes we get too caught up in particular design elements that can dominate the re-design.
- Don't keep the re-design a secret. The site doesn't have to be all things to all people. But being open and nimble means you'll end up with a much more functional site.
If your company is normal, you'll go through many website re-designs. The next time you gear up for a re-design, consider adding these 5 thoughts to the mix and I guarantee you'll get a better result!
