You’re walking down the street and a pleasant shop front catches your eye. It’s a small boutique terrace with big windows that reveal a neat, minimal, stylish interior. The door is wide open, and the products are brightly lit and on display. So, you walk inside. A conscientious shop attendant welcomes you in and takes you through. Charmed by the experience, you make a purchase.
But what if the store was aged and decrepit? What if the lights were dim and the door was closed? What if you had been ignored by the attendant? These factors compromise the buyer experience and hurt the business’s chance of getting a sale. Keeping an inviting, accessible, navigable shop front is important – in fact, it sometimes borders on essential. The same, then, can be said for websites. In a world that is becoming increasingly digitised, your business’s website is just as important as its shopfront – and indeed for many businesses, it may be the shopfront. According to Business Insider, 40% of consumers consult search engines for information to inform purchase decisions. If this brings them to an inadequate website, they will be dissuaded.
Now while there were no problems with our old website, we felt it was due for a refresh – reflecting our commitment to constantly move forward, and never resting on our laurels.
The aim of the refresh was to preserve the foundational integrity of the site, but revitalize its look and feel, while adding functionality that the old hosting service was unable to provide.
We’re proud of the result, and we think you’re going to like it too.
The best websites are in a constant state of evolution
Depending on how central your website is to the operation of your business, updating or rebuilding it should be something you should ritualistically consider. If you are considering an update, follow these steps for success:
- Assess
Conduct a deep, thorough inspection of your current site. Are parts outdated? Does content need an update? Is the functionality as easy as it could be – both for the user and for those working in the back-end? Could the quality of your images be improved? Think critically and don’t be afraid of change.
- Browse
While inspiration often comes from within, it should come from outside too. What are your competitors doing on their websites? What’s working and what isn’t? Ask your colleagues to have a look around and get back to you with their favourite examples. But it doesn’t have to stop there. Seek broad inspiration. Magazines, museums, art exhibitions, social media, and more can all help inform your site’s aesthetic and functionality.
- Discuss
Have the team present their findings. Discuss and agree on a direction and basic plan.
- Initiate
Put your plan to work. Whether you’re outsourcing the work or doing it in-house, follow the plan you made and consistently and seek ongoing feedback from whoever you can.
- Test
Once you have a beta version ready to go, test it out! Try to distill as much insight as possible and use it to reflect and review.
As 2021 progresses, and we move forward from the destabilising year that proceeded it, there seems to be a shared desire for change – to put a difficult period behind us and regrow. Let your website reflect this desire and resonate with strength.
Check out the website here: https://www.peselandcarr.com.au
Final word from our Culture Manager
You, my loyal readers, have no doubt become accustomed to my ramblings. You eagerly await each edition of Woof to see what wisdom I have in store for you. But I’ve been doing it for a while now and I thought I would switch lanes a little bit by giving you a chance to see my sensitive side.
So in the vein of William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath and Eminem, I thought I’d write some poetry.
Here are three poems, a triplet, to convey the life of a dog.
The life of a dog is gleeful,
Especially when your bowl’s full,
But if it’s not,
Then off I trot,
To ask Stuart for a morsel!
The life of a dog is fun,
You get pats from everyone,
And if they stop,
Just bark a lot,
So they know who’s number one!
The life of a dog is a pleasure,
Living each day for leisure,
I get to the park,
Indulge in a bark,
And go sniffing the bins for treasure!
Unfortunately, it’s very hard to find words that rhyme with Stuart and Barbara. Perhaps next time I’ll fit them in with some haikus!
