Do you need to rebuild your website ? A few years ago your web site was cutting edge, the best your Web designer could offer with the techology available . But now, the site is beginning to show its age . The web ages quickly, with the metabolism of a fruit fly, where evolution and revolution happen at the same speed .

What can be done when your site needs a redesign ? Scrap it and start again ? Well, it depends . Redesigning your Website is the perfect opportunity to look over your entire process online . You need to consider how your needs have changed, how Web culture has changed and how your goals for your website have changed too . It is, perhaps, also necessary to look further into your business model and branding to make sure your marketing strategy is as effective as possible . Before you even bring the new Web design to the table, make sure you feel confident with your existing business model and marketing plan . Being secure in these key areas allows you to confidently consider the options for your Web site redesign . Consider everything from the domain to hosting, the script/database platform the site is built on, the functionality of the website (do you want to move into e-commerce, if you haven’t already?) the look of the web design and how relevant is your content to today’s visitors.

Here are the top ten advantages of Web redesign:

1. Domain and hosting re-considerations – you can look at more relevant domains for your Web presence and redirect your old domain references using a 301 redirect to ensure all of your search engine results find their corresponding link on your new site.
2. Review and Refresh the look and style – Have you changed your print media or corporate identity since the last time your site was updated? Does your current website have design elements that date it to a certain design style of a few years ago? Cleaner designs can avoid these design traps.
3. How wide is your Web site design? – Site designs have expanded horizontally as screen resolutions have increased. Consider updating your 800px wide web design to 1024px.
4. Update your content – You don’t have to totally rewrite content for your redesigned site. The content can evolve. Archive old news, but keep it on the site to help show new visitors you’ve been at it for a while. Review your search terms in your content and add new articles and pages where needed. Consider using RSS feed readers to help keep content on your site automatically fresh.
5. Improve the flow of navigation and menus – You use Google analytics on your website right? No? How about a Web stats package provided by your Web host? Hopefully you can review the past successes and failures of each page to see which pages your visitors gravitate to and how you can improve the navigation to help them find this information.
6. Refresh photos and images throughout the site – get rid of that old stock photo and add in some custom photos of your own.
7. Review Web management processes – How do you update your website? Do you do the changes through an archaic and tempramental content management tool? Do you pay a Web master to make the changes for you? There are many options for maintaining your website. The key is to find the way that allows for clearest communication – e.g. a Web master who can interpret your needed changes and make them quickly and easily. Or updating your CMS editor so you can make those changes quickly and easily by yourself.
8. Updated SEO techniques – if you don’t keep your search engine optimization up to date, you will lose out to competitors who do .
9. Add video – get rid of that flash intro and put those development funds into adding a custom video clip to your revitalized site.
10. Consider adding ties to Social media – like Facebook, twitter and Linkedin. Just make sure you are prepared to update and maintain these other media sites in the future.

  Your old Website has the potential to be more effective than a new website. When properly produced by your Calgary Web design team, or whereever your design team is located, your updated Website can carry the established momentum of your old site, even when that means switching over to a whole new domain, better hosting or new Web look. 

A final reason for Web site redesign, whether you are in Calgary, Alberta or anywhere else in the world, is to spread the news to clients, friends and everyone else! A Web redesign will get people talking and re-ignite their interest in your company and services.

Looking for a creative solution for your Calgary graphic design and Calgary Web Design needs?
You can find it all at www.blinddrop.com.