Recently a potential client approached me about updating their site. After browsing through the site, I noticed that there were so many things that needed to be done on top of updating the visuals. They didn’t just need me to update the look of the site, they needed a complete and total overhaul of the information and structure of the site.
That being said, when you have clients approaching you for design work to refresh their site, you should never look at it as just a visual facelift. Repackaging the same old thing time after time just works out to be, well, the same. You need to make it your goal to make it better, otherwise your client’s site may not reach its full potential.
When you’re redesigning a site, you should look at it more as “refreshing” it. Help the client redefine, clarify (or maybe even just define!) their goals. Find out what’s working for them, and what isn’t. If they’re unsure about that, get what you can and make it work.
It’s a big help to talk with your client and discuss a design direction. Getting in tune with their ideas at the outset is a big help in gaining an understanding of what they want, and will help build some trust between you.
Get them to do some research on their own, look at competitors’ sites, and get an idea of what they want. If a client comes to you with what you think is the tackiest, nastiest site you’ve seen and they say they like it, try to get really specific with them about what they like about the site. Sometimes in these eyesores are great ideas, they may just be really poorly executed.
I really recommend reviewing all the information on the site, too. Sure everyone’s anxious to get to designing, but it’s worth it to take the time to do this. Reorganizing and restructuring it can be a big help for both users and search engines. Better information structure equates to a better experience for the users, higher search engine rankings, and more money in the client’s pockets. Everybody wins!
Of course, this is just a drop in the mythical bucket of what is involved in refreshing a website, but it’s definitely something to you get you thinking about what else you can do better to help your client reach their goals.
