What’s Up With a Revamp?
Staring at the same website for 1825 days can get a little boring, so we were really excited to take on a redesign of Atlas MD’s website. There’s a lot to think about during a redesign, and we wanted to talk to you about some of the main points to consider before planning a redesign.
Refocusing for a Redesign
Content – Is your content working or are you thinking about a rewrite? For Atlas MD, we left a lot of the content the same. Why? Because it was working well. And you know what they say…if it ain’t broke. But the best way to tell is by feeling it out. Do you like the way your content sounds? Does your content sound like stuff you’d actually say to customers, or is there a big difference between what you say and the way your text sounds? If so, you’ll probably want to revise the text. We believe that the design should follow the content, so we always clean up the content before we do anything else.
Navigation – How are people navigating your site? Review your Google Analytics account and see how people move through your content. Do they get stuck on the home page? Are they struggling to get from the “About” page to the “Contact” page? If you’re noticing any lags or any strange patterns, it may be a good idea to adjust your navigation.
Images – Are your images high-res? Do you include proper tags for SEO purposes? Your images may not be outdated, but you still may want to consider some improvements. Think about incorporating alt tags so you can show up in search engines and help the visually impaired experience your content. If you haven’t been receiving the type of response you want from your customers, you may need to re-examine your images. Sometimes, a small change can make a big difference. If you’re struggling to know what’s best, you can always A/B test it.
Icons – For such a small part of your site, the iconography can have the biggest impact. Do you incorporate custom icons? Can people actually tell what the icons stand for? If possible, do a little review of all your icons. Separate them from the text and see if they’re working properly. Ask your friends and family for input. Maybe they see something you don’t. When in doubt, connect with your design firm. They can tell you whether it’s time to reimagine your icon concepts or whether they’re still working properly.
Meta – Since you’re redoing the site, it’s a good idea to get your meta in order. Check out some of our previous posts on SEO and keywords and see if you’re doing everything you need to get the rankings you want. Sometimes, all it takes is some fresh eyes, new research, and some meta tweaks to get your SEO rankings up. Remember that, like most of the web, SEO isn’t a static thing. You should keep monitoring it to make sure it’s functioning the way it should.
See how we redesigned Atlas MD’s clinic website — we looked at their content, rewrote their meta, adjusted their images, optimized their text, and made the whole site shiny, but we left a lot of the bones the same. Sometimes you have to redesign from the inside out, but sometimes, you just need fresh eyes and new design elements to get the results you want.