Website Makeover - 2010 Style

I can't believe that Wize Dezigns is on our tenth year of designing websites. Things sure have changed a lot over the years but believe it or not, I still have clients out there using their original websites from ten years ago. That either proves that a simple website can be just as effective as a trendy one or that I haven't done a good job convincing them to re-design.

I always get a ton of questions this time of year inquiring about website re-design... "Do I need a re-design?", "How much will it cost?", "What should I be doing different?," etc...

My response to anyone asking these questions is that if you are thinking that your website needs a re-design, it probably does.

I could write or direct you to many reasons why you should have your website re-designed or what qualities make a good website. We all know that a website needs to be visually appealing, easy to navigate, content rich, etc... but there are 2 huge reasons why your website (if older than 3 years) needs a Makeover. It comes down to the changing standards and technologies that the various browsers now support and the epic emergence of Social Media Marketing.

The development of programming techniques such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and XML (extensible markup language) make any website older than three years old practically a dinosaur. This is because websites that utilize these advanced programming techniques are more easily and accurately interpreted by browsers, smartphones and other browsing platforms. So while your website might look just fine to you, its integrity might be compromised and the code behind its beauty, might just be outdated or plain non-compliant. As for Social Media Marketing, in the last 3 years what is known as Web 2.0 platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc.. have began to dominate web content. If your website is not utilizing these mediums, you are way behind the curve.

My advise to you is to talk to your webmaster or web designer and have them evaluate your current website based on what I just talked about. Don't just look at your website's appearance, content or ease of navigation (though this is very important) but really have them look at the code behind your site to make sure that your website is utilizing the very latest in programming techniques. If you are not using the Web 2.0 services, make sure that you make this a part of your re-design and mindset.

I encourage you to think seriously about your 2010 website makeover. If you are unsure where to start or what questions to ask, please contact me. My consultations are always free even if you chose to work with another firm. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you will chose Wize Dezigns as your Website Spa Specialist!