Website Design

The little website design that could

May 6, 2015 by Nancy Cavanaugh

On January 16, less than two hours after sending email blast about “How to Know When it’s Time for a Website Redesign,” I got an inquiry from a book indexer friend of mine. Her site was seven years old and she agreed with me that an old website design projects a poor image.

She needed an update but also wanted to keep a static, HTML-based site. She didn’t want a blog or mobile responsiveness—even though the lack of both was sure to damage her site rankings.

What she did want was a fresh web design appealing to book publishers—her primary market. She reasoned that most of these people use their desktop computers and all she needed was a contemporary, professional-looking site optimized for search engines.

The challenge: how to satisfy her request without damaging her site rankings

Under the circumstances, I reverted to an earlier website-building process I hadn’t used in several years. I concentrated on: 1) innovative design, and 2) high-quality content that could still rank highly in search engines because it aligns perfectly with search intent.

Note: I don’t recommend this approach unless you’re sure of your target market(s) and aren’t concerned about technological trends. Otherwise, if at some point in the future you need enhanced functionality, you’re stuck.

Design: a simple plan

Because this website didn’t need features like a revolving slideshow, gallery, or any other pre-programming, I relied on Photoshop to create the basic site layout. That involved:

devising a complementary color scheme to match the logo
using large, custom images on every page
balancing text and images to maintain interest

Development: where the rubber meets the road

After my client approved the web design (I nailed it on the first try), the next step was developing the site. I relied on my old friend Dreamweaver—site-building software I had used for almost 20 years—to bring the design to life.

But because this project was more limiting than my current development process, I had to concentrate on content-oriented strategies to compensate for the lack of mobile responsiveness and blog interactivity. That involved:

keyword research focused on book indexing and indexing services so her publisher prospects and clients could find her website
collaboration in writing headlines and text that included relevant, high-volume keyword phrases identified through research
writing effective META tag descriptions customized for each page
adding ALT tags to each image to enhance SEO

Ultimately, this website redesign was similar to many other sites I have designed and developed over the past 20 years—only with extra emphasis on large, original images and heavy concentration on industry-specific SEO that attracts and holds visitors.

The result: an ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan

I’ll let my client speak about the result because she’s the one getting the site traffic and feedback. On April 25 she wrote:

“Nancy took my long, single-page site with its clunky clip art and created an elegant five-page site—complete with proper navigation buttons, links that are no longer broken, and contact form—that’s both beautiful and functional. Not only is my site popping up on that coveted first page in some Google searches, but I’m getting compliments from both colleagues and clients!”

How about your website? It’s not too late to recapture your reputation as a business leader with a website makeover. I’m only a phone call away (414.771.8906).

How much does a new website cost?

April 22, 2015 by Nancy Cavanaugh

“Website” is a general term. There are many different kinds, so asking about cost is like asking about the cost of a house or a car.

I’ve created all kinds of websites since the web went public in 1995. As Internet technologies evolved, sites changed from being very simple to more complex. Over time, the cost of a web presence increased depending on the need for customization as well as the “bells and whistles” built into any site project.

After all is said and done, it comes down to this: The cost of a website depends upon three factors:

1. what you need,
2. what you want, and
3. how what you can afford fits in.

To give you an idea about current cost conditions, working with Cavanaugh Interactive, the average cost of a state-of-the-art website is between $1,500 to $3,500. Depending upon your needs and how well you’ve prepared, that price could fluctuate higher or possibly even lower.

Some of the latest features include:

Custom design with up to two sets of revisions
A complete content management system (CMS)
De facto features like search, galleries, slideshows, video and/or contact form
Web standards, i.e., peace of mind knowing the site is accessible across all major browsers and mobile devices
On-site search engine optimization
Easy newsletter management by integrating with MailChimp
Blogging capabilities to allow you to create content that gets noticed on Google

Other useful features you might need:

Ecommerce – $500-$2,000
PayPal integration – $250
Forums – $1,000
Blog strategies and article writing
Social media support
Google Analytics

If there is another function that isn’t listed here, of course it can be accommodated as part of your plan.

Keep in mind that each project is different and these prices are subject to change. Please contact me to get an exact quote.

One final thought

Ask yourself if you want to do this again in six months. If we agree that your answer is “no,” then working with Cavanaugh Interactive will get you the latest and greatest technologies to keep your site productive and fresh.

Why not redesigning your website is a big mistake

March 24, 2015 by Nancy Cavanaugh

Recently I was asked by a business owner why I thought his website needed a major redesign. The site is eight years old and hadn’t been updated even once—not the design, not the content, nothing!

The web moves at light speed, so an eight-year-old website is obsolete and as such, seriously damages your business presence online.

How bad can it get?

Imagine this situation: You subscribe to the Sunday newspaper. Your first copy arrives and you enjoy it. The following Sunday the next edition arrives, but it’s exactly the same paper as before! The next Sunday the same thing happens again. How long would it take before you cancel your subscription?

Old, static websites have a negative impact on visitors. What are they supposed to think about your business? About you? Because the site has nothing new to offer, they might decide your company isn’t growing or maybe you just don’t care enough to keep them up to date. Either way, that’s worse than not even having a site at all!

Ask yourself: What’s new since I built the last version?

If your website is even a couple of years old, you’re missing important changes in design and content requirements. Google’s search engine algorithms have changed radically, making content increasingly important for ranking high.

Likewise, web design has evolved to accommodate larger desktop monitors. Sites older than 5 years were designed to fit on 14 to16-inch monitors. Today, the norm is 21″, which means fixed-width pages that once filled an entire screen shrink dramatically on bigger screens.

Ironically, the explosive popularity of smartphones and tablets means that web design has to be mobile responsive as well; i.e., viewable on small screens. Even if your site is only a couple of years old, it won’t display properly on mobile devices. Visitors don’t come back a second time if your content is a disorganized mess. So you lose traffic, leads, and revenue potential.

Taking a risk by not updating

Are you asking, “Do I really need to?” Many business owners with older sites hold back because a major renovation can be intimidating. But if you don’t, today’s consumers will pass you by. They’re more sophisticated and expect more from your site. So if you think you can keep your old site a few more years, take a look at what your competition is doing. Or your site traffic numbers. So yes, you really need to do something now.

How do I prepare?

A redesign or update gives you the chance to assess your entire business presence online and make any needed changes. Planning should include analyzing your marketing efforts, looking at any new functionality you want to add (like a rotating slideshow, video, and/or blog), as well as anything you want to remove.

Many sites I redesign are transitions from “brochureware” to “sales funnels.” Modern websites fulfill the needs of visitors by anticipating their questions and concerns, then guiding them through the sales cycle. A site containing nothing but static pages with information that doesn’t change holds little value for customers. Likewise, search engines relegate inactive, unchanging sites to a low ranking or—worst of all—bypass them altogether.

How to measure success

Before you begin a redesign, you need to take measurements of your traffic numbers and other important information. Once the overhaul is complete, take a new set of measurements. Initially, traffic should spike upward. Be sure to check the numbers periodically to make sure that everything’s on track.

A vital component in the redesign is search engine optimization, which, if done properly, attracts the right prospects and customers needed to increase business revenues. Be sure to put SEO as well as mobile responsiveness at the top of your priority list to discuss with your design/development team as integral project components.

Understanding why your website should be updated is important because you begin to see the opportunities you’ve been overlooking. A site redesign is an exciting chance to make a giant leap forward by adopting new technologies, creativity, and imagination to surprise and delight your prospects and customers. When all those elements come together successfully, the benefits accrued to your business will cause you to wonder why you didn’t do something much sooner.

If you’re interested in a free website audit, contact me and I’ll be happy to review your site and make recommendations. Call (414) 771-8906 or fill out the contact form.

Website redesign: how to know when it’s time

January 19, 2015 by Nancy Cavanaugh

When your website premiered, you were excited and proud. After all, having the latest and greatest is a major asset for your business.

But if your site has been around for a couple of years, its performance may be dwindling. A review with an experienced designer or developer helps you find out what the site is doing, what’s worked in the past, and what’s needed for it to meet your expectations tomorrow.

There are a couple of options available for an update. If the design is still looks contemporary, sometimes all that’s needed is updating the CSS without ever touching the HTML.

However, the best results happen when the site is modern, well-coded and up-to-date. Any investment in the latest software will pay back tenfold over the life of the site—not to mention the time you spend worrying about the site and/or having to pay someone else to make minor changes.

How do you know when it’s time for an update? Here are seven warning signs that point to an aging website:

1. Outdated design. Visitors know at a glance when the look is out of date. And if the site appears old, they automatically assume it has nothing to offer.

2. Old content. This means more than out-of-date text. Elements like clip art, HTML frames, and Flash-based intro pages give away old age.

3. Not mobile responsive. If your website doesn’t display well on mobile devices (smartphones, tablets), then you’re losing prospects.

4. Images are too large and load slowly. Early on, many print designers didn’t prepare pictures that loaded fast enough. Any image issues should be corrected because visitors will abandon a site rather than wait.

5. Lack of traffic. The site might look nice, but lack of traffic might mean the search engine optimization isn’t working.

6. FrontPage. FrontPage was once used as a web solution for small business, but those days are long gone.

7. Lack of interactivity. These days, websites encourage communication and sharing using blogs, forums, and links to social networks. Beware of “brochureware”—a static site that’s information-only without any way to ask questions or converse isn’t user-friendly.

How I can help

We’ll assess how people are coming to your site, what they think they’ll find when they get there, and how best to present it to them.

We can also work together to assess your current promotional material, stationary and ideas to redesign your site so that it’s an asset, not a burden. My design approach is to make something that looks timeless. My development approach is to use the best technology available today to keep your site lasting well beyond tomorrow.