Redesigning a web page to increase website traffic is not uncommon as search engines change algorithms and companies develop new markets. However, there are some techniques to keep in mind during the redesign process.
Know the Current Site
Note areas that already demonstrate an increase website traffic. Review all analytics to determine high increase traffic and conversion pages. Even a minor adjustment could reduce the performance of a page, so consider leaving those pages alone.
Remember the Goal
When the goal of a redesign is to increase website traffic, every decision made regarding the redesign must keep this goal in mind. Focus on changes that will drive traffic, like improved content writing on your website rather than color schemes.
Content is King
In today’s search engine optimization world, content is king. Poor content can lead to lower search engine rankings. Lower search engine rankings mean less chance in the site seeing an increase traffic.
Ongoing Content
The more content on a website, the better the chances for an increase in website traffic. Therefore, consider adding a blog to the website to add pages and content to the site easily and set the company up as an expert in their industry.
Landing Page Importance
It is important to understand the importance of the landing page. The majority of the conversions on a website come from landing pages, which is why it is critical to update those more often than other pages on the website. By keeping landing pages fresh, visitors are more likely to return and eventually convert to customers.
Ability to Edit
Many times, when a company develops a website, they use an outside company to develop, create and implement the site. Often, those companies create what is known as a static site, limiting the changes a company can make. During a website redesign process, retain the ability to edit content and build landing pages without the need for specialized coding so staff can update sections of the site on a regular basis. In order to continue to see an increase traffic, updates are necessary.
Minimize URL Changes
Changing URLs and site structure is often a bad idea during website redesign. Moving a URL eliminates the search engine reputation a website developed over time as the links pointing to it from other websites will not be transferred automatically to the new page. Since search engine rankings are one of the main sources used to increase traffic, it is important not to do anything that could reduce that ranking. If you are asking your self. How does SEO works? read this blog."What Does SEO mean for my organization"
Give Your Page a Persona
Using information obtained from your target market, create business personas, which are fictional characters created from the real data obtained from demographics and online behavior. This gives customers the feeling that you are speaking directly to them.
Test the Design
It is important to test the redesign of the website to avoid customer frustration. Release the new design to a specialized group in the target market or in small increments in order to work out any bugs that exist. Monitor web statistics and make adjustments during the testing phase.
Optimize for Searches
If no one can find your site, your sales and leads cannot increase. Therefore, be sure to create proper 301 redirects, develop a good redirect strategy and do keyword research to be sure that the site is optimized well for search engines.
Before beginning any redesign to increase website traffic, it is important to keep these suggestions in mind to avoid frustrating the customer and losing sales. For more details donwload our Free Ebook 10-Step Checklist For Your Website Redesign.
photo credit: Vladimir Yaitskiy, bloometernal via photopin cc
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