5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Re-Vamping Your Website
5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
BEFORE RE-VAMPING YOUR WEBSITE
As business owners, we’re always looking for the areas we can up-level our business. From product offerings to marketing, the list can sometimes seem endless. But overhauling one’s website is often one of the biggest things on the minds of entrepreneurs.
Often times, we put up a site and then tend to our business, so the site gets quickly out-of-date. Or, as has been the case in the pandemic, many businesses had to pivot their offerings, their delivery, and even their customer base, so it was important that their website reflect that.
It can be daunting to revamp a website, so to dive into some questions to ask before starting the process, we sat down with Sophia Mavrides, designer and photographer at Sophia Studio, a full-service design firm based in Marin County, Calif. Sophia is a founding Hivery member, and actually did a tremendous amount of our branding and site (she’s incredible)!
Here are a few introspective questions to get the ball rolling. Note: The considerations for developing a brand-new site are often more extensive and different than re-vamping an existing site. These tips below are for re-vamping an existing site.
“I will often ask why a potential client is unhappy, and what, exactly, they want to update on their existing site,” says Sophia.
Specificity is key here. Maybe you don’t like your colors and content, or your products are out of date. Maybe your head shot hasn’t been updated since the mid-80s. Sophia recommends making a list of as many things as possible that you’d like to change. This is an important opportunity to consider how making a change to your site will impact your business. Are you losing business because your branding doesn’t reflect your ideal client’s aesthetic? Are people coming to your site and then not converting to customers? It’s important that you’re making the investment in upgrading your site tied to the business decisions that will help you grow.
The key here is to be honest with yourself. If you’ve had items like “update my newsletter landing page,” or “change tabs,” or “rewrite my offerings page” on your to-do list for a while, it might be time to enlist the help of someone else.
But if you’re super excited about the concept of diving into editing and designing yourself, that is great, too. Just make a list of the things you’d like to do on your own and another list of the things in which you need the most help. Remember, getting support on your website is often not a one-stop shop. Most web designers prefer that you work with a copywriter on content prior to bringing them into the design phase.
Rates vary wildly from designer to designer, so before reaching out, get clear on your own budget comfort. Small tweaks to sites can cost in the hundreds of dollars, while full branding/website revamps can cost thousands to tens of thousands and up.
Prior to your first meeting with a prospective designer, outline exactly what you’d like your site to look like. Additionally, make sure to identify a few sites you don’t like so you can show a contrast.
“If you aren’t sure what you want your site to look like, I suggest searching for sites that you love and making a list of what you love about them,” Sophia says. “Do you love the photos? The colors? The fonts? The overall vibe? The more specific you can be when you’re sharing your inspiration, the better the chances you’ll find the right designer.”
You’ll need to consider what the objective of the site is, as well. Is it a digital business card so people know a little about you and how to find you, or is it an extensive online shop? Getting really clear on the main objectives of the site will help you find the right designer with the right technical expertise. You’ll also want to consider what existing or new technology might need to integrate with your site. What technologies need to “talk to each other” in order to run your business. This could be things like your CRM solution, your ecommerce platform, your online learning platform, or your invoicing programs.
Not sure how to find the right designer? Scroll to the bottom of the sites you love and check for designer credits, then reach out to those people/agencies. Another option: ask your community for referrals (The Hivery’s board is a great place to post!).
Launching a new site and/or refreshing an existing one can take a lot of time. It’s important to think of how much time you have available in your schedule and then pad it by 20 percent. As Sophia says, “It’s time or money,” when it comes to web design. Even with the best intentions, you can be left feeling defeated by trying to carve out the time to design your own site to only getting a third of the way done before being drawn to something else.
“I have clients who are very capable of writing their own content,” Sophia says, “and are even tech savvy enough to put together their own sites, but their time is better served delegating those tasks to someone who writes web copy professionally and has a track record of understanding big-picture brand strategy and design.”
MEET THE HIVERY MEMBERS BEHIND
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Katie Morell is a Bay Area-based independent journalist with more than 15 years of experience covering topics from business and crime to social justice, animal welfare and travel. Her work regularly appears in Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, USA Today, San Francisco Magazine, Hemispheres, and others. She also pens the monthly column Body Love, focused on body acceptance, for Rebellious Magazine for Women.
When not writing for magazines and newspapers, Katie consults with companies to help with ghostwriting and blog writing. She is thrilled to be a member of The Hivery and has contributed stories to the blog about the community's amazing members.
Additionally, Katie performs spoken word monologues about her experiences as a woman, has appeared on NPR's Moth stage and hosts live panel discussions about topics such a body acceptance. Read more about her at www.katiemorell.com.
Sophia is a multifaceted designer who elevates brands through cohesive and distinctive visual storytelling. She combines 15+ years expertise in graphic & web design, photography and videography, giving each project incredible art direction.
Sophia refined her skills through formal training at Central St. Martins of Art and Design in London, gained experience in digital marketing agencies, as well as learning new mediums to fit client needs. She’s worked for female startups like The Hivery, Tara Mohr, The Workroom, Futurewell Summit and more, to help them tell stories and capture the true essence of their brand. www.sophiastudio.co
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