Updating your site: Tips for a tweak or a facelift

The wonder of the Web is that every page loads with a compelling sense of "now," no matter when it first launched. But that power of immediacy can boomerang fast when something on the page is faded, dated, or downright wrong.

It doesn’t take much. A sale that ended last week, a link that goes nowhere, a price you no longer honor, and—click!—your prospect is gone.

Even when nothing is awry, if the look and feel of your home page and graphics remain static for too long, visitors often assume your offerings are just the same-old, same-old.

Here are some strategies for updating your pages so that customers enjoy a better experience and keep clicking.

1. Take half measures.   Focus first on redesigning only your top core pages. Just make sure the new look integrates with the existing one, so visitors aren’t jarred when they click onto older pages.

   Depending on your business, you can also simply archive some older pages into Adobe PDF or Microsoft Office Word documents suitable for download.

   For help finding a Web designer, check out these Office Live Small Business pages, or ask your local business or professional association for a reference.

2. Reduce loading time.   In the beginning, most of us fall for bells and whistles on a Web site. But these tend to add more noise than use, and can be a barrier for someone wanting a quick answer. This is your chance to streamline.

   Analyze what truly works, what’s mere fancy, and what will best satisfy consumer demand for speedy utility. The goal is to create an uncluttered path to your information or products. If, for example, you force users to return to the homepage to find all of your products or services, here’s your chance to add a search function or internal navigation that will correct that.

3. Map the site to your current mission.   Since you launched your site, have you reinvented your marketing or refined your business model? Does everything on the site reflect the way you do business now? What about secondary channels or pages? Most small-business sites grow an inch at a time, piecemeal. As you add new sections over time, there might eventually be a lack of unified messaging and positioning throughout your site.

   Make sure your content and messaging is consistent from page to page. For instance, if your high-level product descriptions on the homepage differ from more detailed accounts on deeper pages, you’re likely to create confusion about what you sell or your company identity as users click through the site.

4. Make your site work harder.   If you identify the sites and search engines your visitors are clicking from and which of your pages draw the heaviest traffic, you can market more effectively, especially if you’re using search engine marketing.

   First, figure out what you want visitors to do when they land. Using those answers, you can define tracking metrics and develop content, navigation, and structure that will satisfy your targeted visitors. You can capture such key data with software such as adManager, a feature of Office Live Small Business.

5. Give visitors more control.   Rework the site to expand self-directed options, whether that’s making reservations for your Bed&Breakfast or searching for a different size shoe. The more you let the customer drive, the faster your operation will go.
6. Change the drapes.   Simply revising your site's palette can go a long way to freshening your look. Before deciding on the color, check out your competitors' sites. You want to look ahead of the curve, while still remaining within your field's conventions. For instance, if you provide financial services, you might want to swap your current dark green for reassuring blue. But hot pink is a definite no-no.
7. Post success stories.   Now that you’ve been in business for a while, you can probably find some customer testimonials to impress new prospects. Ask your long-time customers for quotes or permission to post their histories and satisfaction with your services.
8. Stay in touch.   To build customer relationships, set up an e-mail program on your site. This can include anything from easy-to-produce news blasts about new deals and products to fully loaded e-newsletters and industry trend reports.

   To persuade visitors to register their personal information, you’ll need to offer an incentive. Find something that your target audience perceives as value, whether a two-for-one promotion, discount on the next order, or an inside look at an industry survey.

   Once you have addresses, make sure your e-mail programs have a reliable schedule and continue to offer the value you promised.

9. Reward top customers.   Let your best customers know they’re special by giving them distinctive perks or discounts. During the site redesign, you can set up a membership or password-protected area for these top customers and stock the section with exclusive deals. You can also send them exclusive e-mail offers.

While any of these ideas can help refresh your online brand, the main point is to avoid becoming complacent. Whenever you change direction or grow the business, make sure you don’t leave your Web site behind.

About the author   Joanna L. Krotz is the founder of Muse2Muse Productions, a custom content company for business and consumer magazines, newsletters, and digital imprints. Krotz has launched marketing Web sites and e-news portals, as well as created magazines and online marketing for a variety of companies. She is co-author of The Microsoft Small Business Kit, a 500-page guide to launching and running a small business.