Why You Need to Consider Marketing Strategy Before Redesigning Your Website

Shoulda. Coulda. Woulda. That’s what you’ll be muttering if you start thinking about your marketing strategy after you’ve launched your new website. Everything is 20/20 in hindsight. We’ve written this article with the intention of saving you from the deep feeling of regret you will experience by putting off your digital marketing plans, and to help you understand the importance of considering marketing and strategy before redesigning your website.

You want to be found on search engines?
Well, that’s a good thing to know before you select a content management system that doesn’t allow you to control page URLs or add custom meta data (title tags and descriptions), and writing content for your website without researching target keywords. Your search engine marketing goals will significantly affect your website redesign project, from the content you use and the meta data you write, to the architecture of your site and how it’s coded. If search engine optimization (SEO) is one of your initiatives, be sure to let your website design/ development agency know before you get started.

You want to increase conversions?
Don’t even think of consolidating your related products and services page content for the sake of a smaller site. You might save yourself a couple bucks up front by doing this, but you’ll negatively affect your ability to increase conversion rates going forward. Why? Well, having separate pages for each product and service allows you to address each of them independently in terms of their specific features, benefits and target keywords. Such laser focus is more likely to appeal to visitors’ specific goals, and therefore encourage them to take your desired action.

You want to advertise on search engines?
Having focused product and service pages with clear call(s) to action is also critical if you’re interested in pay-per-click advertising. When developed strategically, pay-per-click campaigns can positively contribute to brand awareness and lead generation. However, search engine users will be unsatisfied if they’re directed to a page that has anything less than exactly what they were looking for. For this reason alone, it’s essential that you contemplate your campaign themes early on in your redesign planning and craft your website architecture or landing pages accordingly. Such consideration will save you in the long run, as you will not have to make alterations to your site or develop page templates you may not have budgeted for.

You want to start a blog?
A blog is an incredibly effective way to raise brand awareness, increase your ranking on search engines, as well as drive both new and returning visitors to your site through fresh, relevant content. However, it’s essential that the content management system you select supports a blog, as well as custom meta data for each individual post. This is what will contribute to your site’s credibility and ranking authority to search engines, and subsequently help your content be found by individuals searching for it. While blogs are incredibly effective, it’s imperative that they be updated regularly. Developing a content plan that defines the topics you will address and when can help you maintain the blog, stay on track and maximize results.

You want to cater to mobile visitors?
That’s a very shrewd idea, especially as the number of individuals using mobile devices to browse the web continues to increase. However, websites render quite differently on mobile devices than on desktops. Everything is smaller and the user-friendliness of a site plummets to undesirable bounce levels if it isn’t mobile optimized. You might be thinking to your clever self, “I can just create a mobile site later on.” Sure, but two separate sites won’t support search engine goals, and it certainly won’t offer the ability to provide a full site experience to your growing mobile audience. And this my friends, is why responsive design is a crucial and absolutely necessary investment for your redesign project. Responsive web design ensures your website looks great and provides a positive experience on all screen sizes, devices and orientations – now and as technology changes in the future.

You want to provide a personalized website experience?
Customizing your visitors’ website experience is a great way to increase your opportunities for conversion, as it focuses your content and presents information, products and services that are relevant based on specific criteria such as referring sites, previous browsing history, geographic location and more. But, not all content management systems support content personalization, and those that do offer significantly different features. So, if this is something you are interested in, it’s essential that you communicate your website personalization goals prior to selecting a CMS, or else you’re going to be doing some serious and costly back-tracking.

You want to become active on social media?
Music to our ears. Social media can be an extremely effective online marketing tool that can help maintain your brand, extend your audience reach, and with a solid social media strategy, deliver serious ROI. Considering your social media goals before your website redesign project is ideal for a number of reasons. The content management system you select can significantly influence your ability to extend and strengthen the effectiveness of your social media efforts.  For example, you may want to embed social media feeds on your certain pages to increase awareness of your posts on Facebook or Twitter. Or, you might decide to create custom tabs on Facebook to draw additional attention to a certain product/service or other timely promotion. Executing these tactics is easy if you select the right CMS. Additionally, it’s always advantageous to work with a full-service agency that can serve as your overall digital partner and advise on how your website and other online and offline goals work together to produce greater results.

Hopefully this blog has made you realize the importance of aligning your marketing plans with your website redesign effort. If a website redesign is in your business’s future, let ZAG Interactive help you determine the best path toward success.