Why the COVID-19 era might make the ideal time for a website re-design
As the year 2020 has rolled on, it has been easy to awake each day to yet more surprising headlines. Whether it is a negative headline on the economy, on the government response, or simply yet more hard times ahead for the many, it is easy to feel worried in these times. Yet while COVID-19 has introduced challenges that many businesses would never have expected to face off against, this year has offered new chances for innovation.
Innovation has been a challenge for companies already in a lofty, positive position. But for those scrapping for supremacy and development, innovation is essential to progress and success. That is why, whether your business is retaining its position as an industry leader, or you are looking to make incremental changes to your business to step up to the plate, you should focus on an online change. And for many, that change is a re-designed website.
Why, though, is a website re-design a good idea in the current climate? Can your business really afford to invest funds into an aesthetic revamp? What benefits could such a decision bring to your customers?
A new focus, a new you – new website
The first and most significant change that one can expect from a new website re-design during COVID-19 is highlighting a new focus. Customers might not have visited your website in a while or may never have visited it at all. This allows for you to show customers new and old that your focus is renewed.
New language, new layouts and new imagery help to display a business that is changing from the time. Use this opportunity to innovate, to show what your business can do better, and to highlight what your business does to help make life easier.
The secret to a strong and successful business in the COVID-19 era is to show empathy with your customers whilst providing solutions. By using a re-design to highlight what you do to make COVID-living easier or less stressful, you show customers your new side and service.
Move away from the old
Perhaps you found that even before COVID-19 rose its head that business was slowing down. This can come from a lack of innovation; a professional staleness that makes your customers feel tired of the same old. Think about your business like you would a favourite meal: you enjoy it when you eat it, but regular returns to that same meal will lessen its enjoyment.
That is why you could use the COVID-19 crisis to shed your old professional skin and return anew. Show people what your business stands for and develop a new look. Highlight something new; whether it is a product or service, or simply a new method of working, and you can draw an audience in from afar.
As the owner of a business, re-designing your website allows you to cast off the old shackles and instead show your audience a new, more exciting business.
Address customer complaints
Over the last few years, you might have built up a collection of queries and complaints about your website. However, changing your website when you are busy can feel dangerous – why chase away business in the majority to make changes to suit the minority?
While it makes smart business sense to do this in the long-term, you might find that now is the ideal time to make moves. Your business might naturally be slower due to the impact of COVID-19. Turning to a new website design allows you to address those complaints and upgrade your website in a period where business is somewhat slower as it is.
This allows for innovation and upgrades that you might have been scared to make when the iron was still striking hot. With things cooling due to economic challenges nationally, why not use now to innovate, excite, and show you listen?
Change your creative flow
A common issue with a website design is that it might be too formal, and that it might hide your true creative leanings. In the past, we were expected to follow the professional routine laid out by the biggest companies. Today, though, companies are expected to be more human; it might be time to switch out that dour, corporate website for something warmer and a touch more personable.
Changing the creative flow of your business through a website redesign can lead to a flourishing that was not possible previously. Changing the creative flow of a website takes courage, but it can also be the solution that you need to draw in an audience.
They say that you get once chance with a customer to make them visit your website. If your website looks completely different from its previous incarnation, though, you might earn another chance indeed.
Build your new message
COVID-19 has, for many of us, shifted priorities and re-aligned focus. What once seemed an absolute requirement has become an opportune benefit, and you are not the only one who feels this way. Our lives have been changed for the long-term, but it does not have to be for the worse.
By using now to build your new message, you increase the likelihood of making a promise to your customers. Whether you re-focus on a particular problem you know you can solve or you bring in solutions to make COVID life easier alongside normal offerings, things can change.
Simply offering more of the same might be enough, but you might also spot the chance for a touch of creative readjustment. If that is the case, why not build your message from a new angle and a fresh, alternative perspective? It’s this focus that can make all the difference.
Ready for a change? Then let us discuss your website re-design
Don’t allow this desire for innovation and change to slip from your grasp. At Ben Smith, we are more than happy to engage with you on a website re-design. From a simple modernisation to a full-scale change and adjustment, we are here to help you with every aspect of your website re-design. So, come and speak to us about what we can do for you, and we can show you just how your website could benefit from a creative uplifting.
Let our experts show you how you can use the COVID-19 crisis to benefit you in the long-term. Contact us today to discuss what we can do for your website.