My approach to a website design (or REdesign, as the case may be) is threefold.

Plan. Create. Evaluate. Those are three key pieces to a website that sometimes gets overlooked, or set aside. I think one of the reasons this happens is because people assume (or in the past have been conditioned to believe) that website design is about the pretty graphics or colors or fanciness. So they hire a designer who makes something sparkle. Something flash. A fantastic looking header that could be stuck on a wall in a gallery. But when it comes down to actually using that website as a business tool, all the flash and fancy in the world won’t keep profits coming in. Enter Plan. Create. Evaluate.

Plan. Create. Evaluate.

My personal threefold approach to website design takes into consideration first and foremost one of my favorite sayings in the world: “Do everything on purpose”. Take time to plan out your site elements, from the small to the big, and do it ON PURPOSE. After you have a plan, create the beautiful site of your dreams (or the basic, black text on white background. Whatever. Doesn’t matter as long as it fits in with your plan.)  Then let that site sit for a while (albeit, with updates and posts and normal activity from you). See what happens. Give it 3-6 months. Once you have let your site stew, then it’s time to evaluate. Is it working? Are you getting the traffic you need? Are you getting sales? What reaction do visitors give you? If it’s working, then keep it up!! If not, it may be time to start a new (or altered) plan.

Thing is, your website (and total web presence for that matter) is kind of a living thing. It needs attention. It needs care. It needs to be checked up on every once in a while. Letting a site sit dormant with no activity and no evaluation will not help your business grow.

Looking back.

Many times entrepreneurs either already have or are getting ready to launch a web presence that just “gets the job done”. I have seen many people invest hundreds and thousands of dollars in coaching programs, products, seminars and networking events all with the goal of creating a profitable business – but when it comes time to implement all they have learned, their web presence gets the least amount of attention and in many cases the least budget. Entrepreneurs tend to develop this idea that their product/service/skill can “sell itself!” and why invest a lot of money in creating a flashy site?!?! But the truth of the matter is this: It does not matter how awesome your product is. If buyers can’t find it. If happy customers can’t share it. If you can’t use a success from the past to promote something new. Then what’s the point of having a business in the first place?

I often compare an online entrepreneur’s website to your average, everyday store. Look at where YOU shop in your normal week, month or year. Why do you shop there?? For me, it’s Target. I love Target. And I love Target because:

1. I can always find one. The brand is unmistakable. It’s a bull’s eye for goodness sake! But I know bull’s eye = Target b/c I see it so much in everything. And driving in a strange area of the city / country I can spot that logo from a mile away!
2. I know where everything is in the store. Almost all their stores are laid out the same. I can go into a Target in Hoboken and find paper towels in a heartbeat because they are in the same place as my neighborhood store. Familiarity makes it appealing to me.
3. New items, sale items and special lines are showcased in obvious places, so I see all kinds of cool things I never would have thought to buy each time I go in there. (Ok, not so good for the checkbook – but you get my gist)
4. I get what I pay for. The quality of their products is totally in line with the cost.

I then compare it to other stores in my area – maybe a specialty shop or a boutique. Why don’t I shop there? Well, because I have never heard of the name. Maybe the storefront is not very appealing, maybe I feel lost when I enter the store or the prices are WAY out of my league (or maybe I just THINK they are).

Now, I don’t say this because I think all entrepreneurs websites should be big box sites. No!! I don’t want your site to be an amazon.com.

But what I DO want to see is a brand that I recognize (maybe from seeing stuff posted on Facebook, or talked about on a blog or on Twitter) and a site I can actually find, a site that lets me find what I want on it easily, calls to action that tell me what new, cool things I should be looking at, and products/programs/services that have VALUE (i.e. get what I pay for).

When I see a site that screams “gets the job done” I immediately think that entrepreneur either doesn’t have the money to afford a well designed website (read: business not doing well), doesn’t care about their website (read: they don’t care about what they are selling, or me as a client), or has no idea what they are doing online (read: they have no idea what they are doing online). While that may not be the case at all, it’s important to understand that your website is a virtual representation of you and your business, and it’s worth the time, effort and money to make it right.

Warning Signs.

There are a lot of warning signs that can tell you if your current site needs a change (or if your current “plan of attack” for an upcoming site needs work). I’m gonna focus on right now on sites that are currently up, but this can be related to sites that have not been created yet – so keep these in mind, new business folks.

• Sales have taken a nose dive since the site first lauched.
• You have a high bounce rate.
• The time people spend on your site is small.
• You have no idea how to find out your bounce rate or time spent on site.
• You’re not getting many (or any) incoming links to your site.
• You blog traffic is not converting into website traffic.
• No one can find your site without a direct URL.
• You rarely get sign ups for your newsletter or downloads of your freebies.

If any (or – yikes – all) of these fit you, it’s high time you get some help for your website.

Problem Areas.

It can be an overwhelming task to evaluate your site, especially if you don’t know what you are looking for! Below are a few key areas to look at when doing a self evaluation.

Finding you. Good SEO takes time, but bad SEO can rip the bottom out from under you in no time. Does your site utilize all the basic SEO tools like meta data, keywords and simple URLs? (If you thought “What does that stuff mean?” then your answer is most likely NO) And does your web presence have a fluid brand? (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, sales pages, etc…)

Figuring you out. Navigation is the backbone to business websites. Does your navigation, wherever it may be, make sense to your target market? Are you making it hard to find your products or programs?

Spreading the word. Word of mouth is key. Are you giving people an easy way to spread the word on you?

Keeping it fresh. How fresh is the content on your site? Has it been months (or even years) since you added content to your site? Does your blog get updated daily, but the site you sell your services on never get touched?

While there are many more areas to check on, looking at these four basic things and making adjustments to them will make a difference.

I swear I am wrapping this up!

Did you recognize any of the warning signs for your website? Did you see some of those problem areas on your site? Then take action!! Spend 30 minutes a day doing something to move your site out of the danger zone (sorry for the Top Gun reference there).

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Dizzy? Freaked? Many entrepreneurs do. And I think that is why many don’t take action when they need to. And here is where all my rambling is going… get help!!

I can pitch to you right now that you should hire me to help you (and yes, I am a great option ) but in total truth I am less concerned with WHO you get to help you then I am with the fact that you recognize that there ARE people out there who can help you, who do this for a living, for a reason, and that you can utilize to make the most out of your business.

You would not hire a plumber to remodel your house, would you? (Gosh I hope not!) And while you may physically and intellectually be able to remodel your own house, the best option you can choose is to hire a skilled contractor who can draw up plans, perform all the work, and get the job done right. The same goes for your website. Whether you need to build your first website or your current site needs a boost, find a skilled web designer who will work with you to plan out and create a site FOR YOU and your needs.

On purpose.