The digital space is ever-changing, which is why it is more important than ever to have a pro re-design your website.
I have experienced the benefits of working with a professional firsthand, on both client projects and for this website, Appeal Marketing. I’ll explain this more in detail, so read on.
Top Reasons to Work with a Pro for your Website
- You Get What You Pay For
- Audit of Existing Site
- Upgrade your Branding
- Technical Improvements
- Usability Improvements
You Get What You Pay For
It’s tempting to build a website on your own. Many website platforms, such as WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace have templates that have become more user-friendly.
I built my previous website three years ago in WordPress. For eight years, I’ve maintained a personal blog in WordPress. I also have built cathyolig.com in WordPress for my school board campaign, so I knew that I wanted to stick with WordPress moving forward.
It turns out, many Fortune 500 companies and individuals use WordPress too! Powering 35% of the internet, or 455 Million websites, WordPress is a top-notch platform, especially for custom websites.
My quick take: WordPress provides the most flexibility in terms of design and plugins. Other sites lock you into design themes and do not provide access to nearly as many add-ons as WordPress. If you want to learn more, here’s an article that compares website builders.
To re-do my site right, I knew that I wanted peace of mind paying a professional to build a proper foundation from which my website could continue to grow and evolve with my business. My initial purchased theme expired, and I didn’t want to pay for an outdated look and feel any longer.
The Old Appeal Marketing Website
By paying a professional, you can build a custom website that delivers exactly what you want. When I first started my business, I took months and long hours to find and create my site. In contrast, WordPress web developers have deep expertise and knowledge, so they can more quickly build a site to your specifications.
Audit of Existing Site
Re-designing a website provides an opportunity to audit your existing site from a design, content, and technical standpoint. It’s a chance to step back and review your goals. What’s working well? What needs to improve on your site? An outside perspective from a technical expert can help guide this process.
My website goals included:
- Clean up and modernize my website
- Include better call to action buttons
- Refresh site branding and content
I handled auditing my site content, editing and re-writing pages, so they would flow in the new site design and reflect my desired positioning and personal branding.
Early on in the process, I provided websites and design themes that I liked, including this client’s site that I helped create with my web expert, Kim Doyal’s blog ,and Amy Porterfield’s about page to help guide the design and format of pages.
Website Re-design Tip
Identifying sites that you like or don’t like helps provide direction as you re-design your website.
Upgrade your Branding
Initially, I wanted to make Appeal Marketing look bigger, so I used “we” instead of “I” all over my site. Through sales conversations and work with clients, I realized that I was the sole face of Appeal Marketing. So I’ve decided to embrace that front and center on my new website, as a marketing coach, marketing consultant, and marketing manager.
I also incorporated a color palette, using orange for calls to action and green to complement the Appeal Marketing teal color.
Check out Coolors or Canva for color palette inspiration.
All of these colors fit the friendly, down to earth, and professional personality of my brand.
The tagline, Marketing . . . Simply Better came from conversations that I had with clients. First, I need to understand their current state, and then I find ways to make their marketing better.
Marketing takes time to develop, test, tweak, and get it right.
Just as I do for my clients, I’ll continue to monitor my website and digital marketing performance to assess and understand what works for my business.
Technical Improvements
Using a professional to re-design your website means that your site will be technically sound. My site speed, security, and legal requirements are much improved than before, thanks to the recommendations of my trusted web developer. His knowledge and access to premium licenses for plugins and contact forms gave me peace of mind that my website was both technically sound, secure, and attractive.
Usability Improvements
The best websites are created with the customer in mind. No one likes a busy website where it’s difficult to find what you need.
I knew right away that I wanted clean navigation in the heading, easy to find contact information, and a simplified footer with a search function. The added motion throughout the main page adds interest (and hopefully keeps eyeballs on the page).
My web pro carried the same styling throughout the site and standardized fonts for headings. He also used proper tagging, which helps with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Finally, after launch, we integrated my existing Google Analytics and Search Console accounts with Yoast SEO and Monster Insights.
Making Your Website Re-design Work
Re-designing your website doesn’t have to be difficult. Choose the right partner for content support and technical expertise to make it as easy and fun as possible.
I’m glad that I did! Together, I had worked with my web expert to write content and build a new site for a growing transportation company, and I enjoyed being on the client-side for my business. As I mentioned in the blog post about outsourcing tips, I found myself saying, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
Want tips on re-designing or building your website? Contact me to learn more.