When hired to redesign a business website, I always ask the client what he/she thinks was wrong with the old one. Aside from looking outdated, the response usually is, “it didn’t work.” Obviously that’s a bit vague. So through more questioning, I try to specifically define what is of most value to the client, which factors into how to make an effective website.

“It Didn’t Work!”

It’s important to understand why someone believes that. The rationale will vary from person to person. It could be based on one or multiple factors, such as:

  • No traffic.
  • No lead generation.
  • No sales.
  • Poor communication.
  • Old information.
  • Wrong business strategy.
  • Internal disagreements.

How Do We Make It Effective?

I work with my clients to think about the following:

  • Define your goals and priorities for the website.
  • Define the target audience(s) for the website.
  • Determine an appropriate keyword strategy.
  • Design for both humans and search engines.
  • Plan for scalability.
  • Plan how to drive traffic.
  • Define specific metrics to measure success.
  • Finally, always be testing!

All the above are critical to build an effective website. That way your team is on board and you can make informed decisions over time as you adapt your website to future changes in the market, trends and your business plan.

Hope you find this helpful.
-Roland