Structure

Tag: Website Strategy

  • 5 Stages of a Successful Website Redesign Process That Works Every Time

    5 Stages of a Successful Website Redesign Process That Works Every Time

    Redesigning a company website can feel intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before or you’re already overwhelmed by the projects on your plate. It’s so much easier when you have a proven website redesign process to follow.

    In this article, we will walk you through the Structure Website Redesign Process that we’ve used for hundreds of clients over the last five years (September 20, 2023, at the time of this writing).

    To cut to the chase, we have a 5 Step Website Redesign Process that works every time (if you follow it!).

    1. Define
    2. Design
    3. Develop
    4. Manage
    5. Grow

    You can do these steps on your own or with your internal team. You could probably get a solid head start with this article and our Free Website Redesign Planning Guide.

    However, if you’re considering hiring an expert to help with your website redesign project, it’s much easier to trust someone who has a plan and has worked on it repeatedly.

    Unfortunately, you don’t get that with most local web design agencies or freelancers.

    This 5-Step Website Plan is the same process we’ve used for clients in executive coaching, manufacturing, private equity, e-commerce, cannabis, consumer packaged goods, and many more.

    If you’re in one of those industries, that’s great! But even if you’re not, this website redesign process will still work for you.

    And even if you’ve got a small website or spinning off a new one, you can use this process. While it’s perfect for a website redesign, it works great for a new website.

    Let’s build a website that keeps your customers hooked.

    Step 1: Define – Website Planning

    A website redesign isn’t art.

    It’s science.

    Unfortunately, in the many website redesign projects we’ve worked on, the primary problem with any web project that doesn’t meet goals or expectations is a failure to plan.

    Of course, at Structure, we start with planning. So that’s not an issue when you work with us.

    But in my experience as a digital marketing veteran at software companies and agencies, the same website issues have come up over the years.

    And they all come back to one thing: failure to plan.

    It’s not just my experience, either!

    Research suggests that 68% of marketers did a site redesign in the last 12 months – but 1/3 were unhappy with the results.

    Furthermore, failed website redesigns cost an average of $55,000 plus an additional $115,000 over the next 12 months to fix.

    Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, said it best:

    If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.

    Likewise, if you think a good website is expensive, you should see the cost of a bad website.

    That is why we start every website redesign process with a website plan. And you should, too.

    Get Our Free Website Redesign Planning Guide

    Download the Structure Website Design Planner to plan a website launch that makes your project successful!

    How does the “define” stage of the Structure website redesign process work?

    All website projects start with a free 30-minute Consult Call where we’ll gain an understanding of what you’re hoping to create.

    We’ll ask questions like…

    • Why do you need a new website?
    • What do you need your website to do for your business?
    • How did your last website perform? What worked/didn’t work?
    • Which platforms are you using, and do you like them?

    During this call, we’ll also be able to recommend a website design package that fits your goals. Once you decide on a package, we’ll start with a virtual or in-person Website Workshop.

    During this workshop, we’ll help you define and document the following information:

    1. Basic company information
    2. Who is on your team
    3. The vision for your website
    4. A competitive analysis
    5. Brand documentation
    6. Your buyer’s journey
    7. A sitemap of your pages
    8. Content plans for each page
    9. Technology requirements
    10. Website build budget

    The final answers comprise your Website Plan.

    Step 2: Design – Website Layout

    Website design is more than mocking up a pretty version of your brand for a webpage; it’s designing a home for your customers to visit to engage with your business and buy from you!

    Whether you’re starting by looking for a fresh look for your website or you already know you want to add new functionality, the website redesign process hinges on understanding what makes an outstanding strategic design.

    Website Redesign Process: Define

    What is a strategic design, you might ask?

    A strategic design is these things:

    • Visually appealing and on-brand
    • Well-organized and easy to navigate
    • Engaging with compelling content
    • Designed for your target audience
    • Optimized for search engines
    • Responsive, so it looks good on all devices

    Creating a strategic website design that meets all these criteria can seem daunting, but it’s important to remember that your website is a vital part of your business and should reflect your brand and meet your business goals.

    In short, your website design should focus on how it works, not just how it looks.

    How does the “design” stage of the Structure website redesign process work?

    The Structure Website Design Package you choose will determine what you receive from the process. However, here are some of the deliverables you can expect:

    • Wireframes
    • Desktop Designs
    • Mobile Designs
    • Tablet Designs
    • Content & Media
    • Functional Specification

    If you’re unsure what this means, that’s okay! Our team of website design experts can help. We’ll coach and consult with you to clearly understand the goals and needs of your website, and then we’ll create a custom website design that’s right for you.

    Step 3: Develop – Build

    During the website development process, the aim is to create a site that aligns with the design concepts established in the prior phase.

    Moreover, this is the stage where you guarantee that your website operates smoothly, catering to the objectives, technology, and user requirements outlined in the Website Plan.

    This is another reason the website plan is so critical. It is a guiding source of truth throughout the website redesign process.

    Achieving these objectives will create a website that accomplishes your plan and sets you up to crush your business goals.

    Website Redesign Process: Development

    How does the “development” stage of the Structure website redesign process work?

    Upon your approval of the Functional Specification (the final design deliverable), our development team will begin building your website on a separate development site so your live website isn’t affected. 

    We’ll optimize your website for all devices and browsers and essential SEO, accessibility, and load speed as standard practice.

    Then, we’ll break your website. But don’t worry, it won’t stay broken!

    We’ll fix any issues and put checks in place to ensure it’s bulletproof for your team and users.

    Testing is completed with a Training Call so you know exactly how everything works. Then, you’ll get to review and approve your website.

    When you approve, we’ll launch your website and push it live onto your domain for customers to use and love. 

    If you’re lost by now, here’s a quick recap:

    1. Structure Builds Your Website
    2. Structure Completes Quality Assurance (testing)
    3. Structure Provides Website Training
    4. Your Review
    5. Structure Launches Your Website

    Ultimately, by the end of this step, you’ll have a new website to delight every visitor.

    Your website will be easy to manage and set up to work for your business.

    And we have a Work For Free Warranty to cover you in case of any unexpected flaws.

    Step 4: Manage – Updates & Monitoring

    All websites must be updated and optimized, especially after being redesigned.

    It’s a common practice for local agencies to “lock” you into a management plan with them. Often, this subscription is part of the deal. Or, they might hold the key to your hosting.

    Either way, we’re not fans of locking you into anywhere you don’t want to be.

    That includes a management or hosting plan you don’t know why you’re paying for. That’s not our style.

    Website Redesign Process: Support

    We want to hand off your website to your team with training and support to ensure it’s working and meeting your business goals.

    You’ll have every tool and resource if you want to manage it yourself.

    However, managing your website takes time. It can easily take a few hours a week.

    Most clients don’t have a team to hand their website to, so we continue working with an active WordPress Website Management package.

    We love managing websites we’ve built, and it’s honestly one of our favorite partnerships for long-term growth.

    The reason is that we’re “in your corner” to support any ongoing initiatives, optimizations, and projects.

    We’re here for whatever you need, as long as you need it.

    How does the “manage” stage of the Structure website redesign process work?

    Website management with Structure is more hands-off for you than most other steps in the website redesign process.

    This means you may not see much of what’s happening in the background.

    But as soon as you hand off your website for management, we immediately do the following:

    • Setup daily site backups
    • Test forms and conversion funnels
    • Make monthly plugin and software updates
    • Report on website performance monthly
    • Audit website performance & SEO annually
    • Make ourselves readily available to answer any questions you have

    That’s it! If you want to learn more, you can download our free PDF Overview (no email required).

    Step 5: Grow – Increase Results

    In the end, the effectiveness of your website launch hinges on its capacity to generate traffic, capture leads, and drive sales.

    However, achieving these objectives becomes impossible if your website isn’t functioning correctly. In this final phase, you will execute marketing campaigns tailored to your target audience.

    Subsequently, you will consistently fine-tune your strategies in response to the distinctive challenges and opportunities you encounter. The growth phase is where your website truly reaches its full potential.

    How does the “grow” stage of the Structure website redesign process work?

    Often, we work with our clients to develop a sales funnel to drive sign-ups and sales.

    For most clients, this means focusing on three initiatives, in order:

    1. Acquire Traffic
    2. Generate Leads
    3. Increase Sales

    Website Redesign Process Common Questions

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  • Website Goals: What Do Customers Want From a Website Online

    Website Goals: What Do Customers Want From a Website Online

    If you’re a marketing or business leader, your website goals include wanting customers to engage with your website and buy your products or services.

    But you’ve probably learned by now that you’re good at getting in your way of success. I’m speaking from experience here.

    When we communicate with customers on our website, we have our “business hat” on; which means we do everything backward from how the customer wants to see, hear, and experience it.

    In short, we communicate what we want to say—not what they want to hear.

    We do this by using photos of our team or our office building instead of photos of our customers using our products or services.

    And we explain our services in the most detail but leave out the details that matter most.

    And people leave. Never coming back and never buying.

    It’s because they’re looking for two things you never give them.

    These things aren’t complicated. It’s so stupid that you’ll kick yourself after I tell you.

    Here it is…

    They’re looking to understand and be understood.

    If you give them these two things, no matter what you sell, they’ll want to buy from you. And there’s no better place to communicate those two things than on your website.

    Let’s look at how you can use your website to accomplish your customer’s goals, starting with their desire to be understood.

    Website Goals #1: To Be Understood

    To be understood, your customers must know you care more about their problem than your product. 

    Most business leaders can’t seem to make their customers feel understood because they have the curse of knowledge. 

    This is something you and your company need to avoid at all costs.

    What is the curse of knowledge? The curse of knowledge happens when someone like you knows so much about their products and services they project that knowledge onto their potential customers. You care, and you genuinely think you are doing them a service.

    The problem is most customers will only give you a couple of seconds to make your pitch on your website. That means it needs to be easy to understand. And the best way to be easy to understand is to make your pitch less about you and more about them.

    Less about your product and more about their problem.

    When you do this and communicate with empathy and authority, they’ll trust you and feel like you understand them. 

    This works because your competition isn’t doing this. They’re over there strutting their stuff, and you’re over here caring for customers. While they may look better, you’re doing better.

    And as I’ve mentioned before, what’s better than padding your pride with a website that stuns impressive is padding your pockets with one that sells.

    Now, don’t leave out your product or service from your website altogether because your customers need it to win the day—make sure it’s in its place. 

    So before you present your product or service, present your understanding of your customer’s life and pain. They’ll feel understood and want to buy.

    Website Goals #2: To Understand

    Second, they want to understand HOW your product or service will help them overcome their challenge.

    In our website design planning work with clients, I teach much about the difference between information and transformation.

    We go super deep in the process, but I’ll distill it into a fundamental principle here for you. 

    People will get bogged down and lost if you list all your products and services on your home page. 

    Most agencies would tell you to break down your products and services into bite-sized categories so it’s much easier to digest what you sell. That’s good advice and would probably be helpful in many ways. But that advice only touches the surface of the subject.

    Your customers aren’t just looking to understand better what you sell or how your product works. They don’t need more features or facts. They don’t need to be bogged down by new releases.

    Not that those things aren’t cool because you worked hard on them, but your customers want more. Your customers want much more than that.

    They want to understand how your product works for them.

    All you have to do is explain it to them.

    Let me get practical. 

    You know the Skittles tagline, “Taste the rainbow?” Skittles isn’t stupid. That’s precisely what your customers want. They want to taste the transformation they’ll experience when they buy from you.

    So, on your website, do this: talk less about your products and more about how your products help your customers.

    Make your website an engaging marketing tool—not a painful one

    You know your website could be making more money for your business. But when customers don’t understand how your products or services help them, they tune you out and take their dollars elsewhere.

    Watch our free video training on How to Build a Really Attractive, High-Converting Website That Makes You Proud.

    I’ll guide you through a simple process that will help turn your website into a sales machine because you remove the obstacles that are stopping people from buying from you and implement automated and sustainable sales systems that could actually DOUBLE or TRIPLE your revenue.

  • 5 Reasons Your Manufacturing Website Doesn’t Work (and What to Do About It)

    5 Reasons Your Manufacturing Website Doesn’t Work (and What to Do About It)

    You know it already, but I’ll spell it out: Your website needs work. You know it. I know it. Your customers know it.

    I’m not talking about whether it’s broken or offline. If it is completely down, that’s another issue entirely.

    What I’m talking about is this:

    • It’s old and outdated
    • It doesn’t give you any leads or sales
    • The competition is passing you by

    Meanwhile, you do no know who to turn to or how to improve it. You have enough going on as it is.

    In the next few minutes, I’ll explain five reasons most manufacturing websites don’t function or work very well, along with practical changes you can make RIGHT NOW to make it work.

    1. Your manufacturing website is about you

    Your website should be all about your customers. What they get, how you can help improve their lives, and what jobs you or your products help them do.

    This principle could be summed up in five short words: you are not the hero. Let me say that again; you are not the hero.

    You see, what a lot of companies do is they think they’re the hero of their customer’s stories. After all, they have the problem, and you’re coming up with the solution. So you’re the hero. Right? You solved their problem. You changed their life. Except, while every story does have a hero, in your customer’s story, it’s not you. It’s them.

    If you do what your competition isn’t and make your customers feel like the hero they want to be, they’ll come back to you because you’re the only one they know who makes them feel like you do.

    So, how do you do that, you ask? You do a 180-degree shift in your messaging and reposition yourself as the guide, the helper.

    Even your About page needs to reflect this principle. Your About page isn’t about you; it’s about your customers, how they struggle, and how you can help them. Unless people are hiring you for your team, they’re not coming to you looking for long lists of team members or company history. They want to know if you can fix THEIR problem.

    On your home page, instead of saying, “We do this and that,” say, “We can help you do this and that.” Do you see the difference? In the first example, you’re the one doing; in the second, they’re the one doing (and you’re helping). 

    Make your entire website about your customer, and you’ll create raving fans who buy once and keep coming back for more.

    2. Your manufacturing website is overwhelming

    Have you ever been to a website that bombarded you with tons of information immediately? There was so much there you didn’t know what was necessary or what to look at next. It was just so overwhelming you had to leave. 

    Most companies drown their customers in information before they’re ready for it. 

    Instead, you need to set up your website to facilitate a process called “Drip, Sip, Drink.”

    Here’s what I mean. The first section on your homepage should have your easy-to-understand tagline where you say what you sell and give them a clear call to action.

    Then in the sections below, you should talk about the different jobs your products or services do for your customers so they can look at everything from a distance – in other words, you give them a drip. And don’t put it all into one section; break it down into one section per job.

    If they like the drip, they’ll go deeper and find your product page that gives them more information about your product – that’s the sip. 

    Then, if they like your product, they’ll read your case study or customer story – that’s the drink. 

    Suppose you break your offering into bite-sized categories and communicate it using the Drip, Sip, Drink process. In that case, it’ll be much easier for customers to understand what you’re offering, why it’s essential, and how to buy it.

    Do this, and your website will work.

    3. Your manufacturing website is confusing

    As business owners, we think we’re being clear. But in reality, we’re being precise. We have tunnel vision. We only see what’s right in front of us.

    Because of that, we usually make one of two mistakes: we either get way too into the weeds and tell customers too much about our products too soon and we confuse them or scare them away, or we say generic, jargony, business things using acronyms that work in the business world but the human on the other end has no idea what you’re talking about.

    This is why fixing our first two problems is so important. If all you do is talk about yourself and your business and bombard your customers with information, they will be confused and leave.

    There are a few studies that show how our brain does one of two things when it receives new information: 

    It either makes sense of it by turning it into a story or, if it can’t make sense of it, it ignores it. 

    You don’t want customers doing either of those things on your website: zoning out or ignoring everything you have to say. 

    No, you want them to engage and take action!

    But they can’t if your website is just another thing bombarding them with more information that they don’t know what to do with.

    I want you to remember this: if you confuse, you’ll lose.

    People should be able to go to your website and understand what you offer and if it’s for them within five seconds. If it takes them longer than five seconds, you’re losing sales. Ask yourself, are you being clear? Because if it doesn’t make sense, it won’t make money.

    4. Your manufacturing website doesn’t call people to action

    You’d be surprised how many customers have difficulty figuring out how to buy your product.

    Your website should include an easy call to action. That means a button that says, “buy now, schedule a call, Register today; those are clear calls to action.” Learn more and get started aren’t clear. If you don’t have this, you’re losing out.

    You’re not going to scare people away by being obvious. You’re helping them buy from you so they can get what they need, and you can get paid.

    Let me give you a story. I like to hunt. Recently I was hunting for turkey with my brother-in-law. We had been in the woods since 4:30a before the sun came up. It was so dark I didn’t even know what I was sitting on; I just knew it wasn’t my bed. Anyway, we made calls and sat still for a few hours until, around 7:30a, we heard a turkey. It kept gobbling our way. We typically text back and forth when we hear something that might be a turkey. So I sent him a text to tell him which direction the turkey was coming from so we could go home with a turkey instead of going home empty-handed. 

    Here’s what I text him. Gobbler at 3:00. I told him exactly where it was coming from so he could see it and shoot it. If I had said turkey to the right, he would’ve been looking everywhere and may have missed it! But because I was clear with where the turkey was, he knew where to look.

    The good news is that call-to-action buttons can’t wander away as turkeys can. If you’re clear, they’ll work. The bad news is that the turkey wandered away from us, and we didn’t come home with anything.

    So don’t miss this one. Make it easy for customers to buy by being transparent with your calls to action.

    5. Your manufacturing website doesn’t communicate transformation

    Your website should visually display the success your client will experience if they use your product or service. 

    Here’s why: your customer has two types of problems: external and internal. Another way of putting it is physical and emotional. One problem they experience and one they feel.

    An external problem might be that I have a flat tire. The internal problem is that I can’t make it to work on time, my boss might fire me, and I can’t afford to lose my job.

    Every external problem, whether a flat tire or a leaky roof, manifests an internal problem — frustration, confusion, or even the feeling of “I don’t have what it takes.”

    Please don’t be mistaken; your customers buy your products to relieve their internal tension. And when you communicate in a way, using words and pictures that show how you can relieve that tension, your customers will be more likely to seek your expertise.

    If you’ve watched a movie, you know every story ends in victory or tragedy. For your customers, it’s success or failure. They will feel one or the other, and I can guarantee they want to feel successful.

    Make your website work

    Okay, very good! There are five reasons your website doesn’t work and how to fix them.

    1. Your website is about you
    2. Your website isn’t emotional
    3. Your website is confusing
    4. Your website doesn’t call people to action
    5. Your website doesn’t communicate transformation

    So, you may ask yourself, where do I go from here? If you took notes, you probably have some excellent action steps. If not, I’ve got a few for you.

    First, facts are stubborn things. If your website isn’t getting you sales, there’s a reason. Look at your current website and see if it follows any principles I shared today. 

    If you’re following all five, you’re a pro. 

    If you’re following three of the five, you’re in a good spot where a few minor changes will make a big difference. Take them one step at a time and get to work.

    You’ve got some work if you do not follow these principles. But I understand you might be overwhelmed by all this. It’s okay, start with principle one and make your way through the list, one at a time.

    If you’re ready for the next step, I invite you to watch our free video training on How to Build a Really Attractive, High-Converting Website That Makes You Proud.

    I’ll guide you through a simple process that will help turn your website into a sales machine because you remove the obstacles stopping people from buying from you and implement automated and sustainable sales systems that could DOUBLE or TRIPLE your revenue.