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Manufacturer's Ultimate Guide To Website Redesign

The average lifespan for a website is 18 to 30 months. That means even if you updated your website a few years ago, it might no longer feel fresh or relevant to customers. The good news? You don’t need to start over from scratch. A website redesign can focus on just a few important elements, like updated visuals, new features, and better functionality.

Regardless of the scope of your redesign, our workbook will provide you with all the information you need to get started!

This recently updated guide will teach you everything you need to know about website redesign and the critical tools you need to convert web traffic into qualified leads.

  • Knowing When To Redesign
  • What To Consider When Redesigning
  • Planning For Success
  • What Features Will Your Website Need
  • SEO Factors To Consider
  • Comparing Web Development Companies
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Why A Website Redesign Is Important For Manufacturers

  • 88% of visitors won’t return to your site if they have had a poor experienc the first time.
  • Your website serves as a 24/7, 365 salesperson for your company—and it takes just one second for visitors to decide whether they like it. You don’t want to give them the impression that your company is as obsolete as your outdated website.
  • With over 6.9 billion smartphone users in the world and Google’s mobile-first index, your website must be designed to display properly on a multitude of screen sizes.
  • When rebranding—whether that strategy includes a different brand name, logo, color scheme, message, or a little of each—you need to ensure your website is redesigned to match.

Considerations When Redesigning Your Website

  • Template or custom design? Each has its pros and cons. When redesigning your website, you will have to choose whether to model the new website from an existing template or develop a custom design.
  • Content is still king and a large majority of that content is visual. Having professional photos vs. stock images makes a big difference. And don’t overlook the power of video.
  • Industry jargon like Proprietary CMS, WordPress, and DNN can be confusing and even intimidating, but understanding these important terms will help you make informed decisions when choosing a platform and features.

Important Features for Manufacturing Websites

  • A lead management system and marketing automation tools help capture, qualify, and funnel leads based on detailed information collected from visitors’ online actions.
  • Integrating your website with your ERP system keeps customer data and inventory up to date, increases efficiency, reduces operating costs, and eliminates errors—all without human involvement.
  • Custom quote forms engage visitors and turn them into prospects.
  • Online job portals streamline job recruitment and retention of existing employees by allowing your website to become a one-stop employment information portal, giving you a competitive edge in attracting—and retaining—top talent.
  • A specialized eCommerce system is essential for manufacturers who sell directly to consumers. Simplified, secure ordering will help you gain trust—and repeat customers.
  • If your company has a lot of different SKUs, an online product catalog can help organize and display data in a format that is easy to navigate. Including schematic drawings will help customers find exactly what they’re looking for.
What are the biggest contributing factors to slow load speeds? Request the guide and turn to page 51 for the answer!

What Pages Should You Keep…and Which Ones Can Go?

  • Retaining pages that have backlinks is extremely important. Every backlink counts as a vote for your site to rank higher.
  • Running a content gap analysis against your top competitors can help you identify areas you are missing.
What effect does bounce rate have on SEO performance — and how can you lower yours to entice visitors to view more pages? Receive a copy of the guide and read what Foremost CEO Jon Ballard has to say about this on page 10!

Benchmark Your Current Performance Metrics

  • Reviewing your website’s analytics, such as page views, exit percentages, scroll depth, pages per visit, bounce rates, and more tells you how visitors are interacting with your website.
  • Raw data lets you highlight areas of opportunity as well as potential shortcomings and allows you to respond accordingly. This kind of thorough analysis helps you optimize your website and digital marketing campaigns to improve user experience and focus on your target customers.
What’s the single most overlooked and critical error an inexperienced web developer makes when redesigning a site? Our guide can help you avoid making the same mistake!

Determining Goals

  • Before deciding on redesign specifics, it’s important to determine your goals. To ensure they are effective, goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART).
  • Website goals should be consistent with company goals. What action(s) do you want your visitors to take?
  • Creating SMART goals makes it easier to track return on investment (ROI).
  • Regardless of your specific goals, your website design should focus on the user experience (UX) above all else.
How much more time does the average user spend on a website with video? Get a copy of the guide to learn more!

It’s All About the SEO

  • Search Engine Optimization is a critical component of a successful website redesign that will help your website rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPS).
  • To ensure your website does not lose ranking pages or upset visitors with broken links, you must establish 301 redirects.
  • Are you using the right words and phrases in your content? Don’t play the guessing game. A sophisticated keyword research process uncovers terminology you didn’t even know your target audience was using, allowing you to effectively pursue opportunities.
  • Speed is of the essence. Google places websites with slow load times lower in search results than websites with faster load times.

Essential Elements of a Manufacturer’s Website Design RFP

  • When looking for a web development partner for your manufacturing site redesign, an RFP will allow you to quickly and easily compare potential partners and make the best choice for your company’s project.
  • Provide specific details on the project, including all the required deliverables.
  • To make sure your website will be unique, ask your potential development partner to provide a portfolio of similar projects they have completed for you to review.
  • Depending on the size and importance of your project, you may wish to schedule a face to face meeting with your bid finalists.

Compare Web Development Companies

  • An in-depth discussion with the web development company that covers your goals, objectives, and required site functionality is a must.
  • The web development company you choose should have server technology experts on staff so they can build a site that runs efficiently and securely.
  • Ask your prospective partner which software solutions they use to manage ticketing, code repositories, and projects.
  • Customer references should come standard with every proposal. The experience previous customers have had will speak volumes about the professionalism you can expect.
What are the three most important factors a manufacturing company should be concerned with instead of focusing on design trends? Download a copy of the guide and the answer can be found on page 16!