I’m about to start revamping a website that probably has 150+ pages and is in great need of some attention.
There are three core things that need to be accomplished:
- Redesign the look of the site
- Rewrite copy
- Try to create a better overall user experience
The redesign of the site will be very welcome, but I think the rewrite and user experience portion of the project are wildly important.
Rewrite
The current copy is long winded and lacking in direction.
To combat this issue I’ll be reducing the copy and making sure the user has a clear path to follow. If something is being sold there needs to be an action item or a way to close the deal.
There’s also a nice chunk of redundant information that needs to be consolidated – doing so will allow for brevity, and also ensure that the action items or deal closers aren’t missed.
User Experience
Creating a path for the user doesn’t mean your questioning their intelligence; rather, you are creating an easy browsing experience – part of which requires that you anticipate their needs and/or questions.
For this particular site, page after page has been created which has drastically increased the number of clicks required by the user. If someone visits the site looking for X, I’d love for them to be able to find it after three clicks or less. That very well may be wishful thinking, but I’m thinking it’s a good baseline number to establish.
In the End
It’s important to remember that Web design isn’t just about a nice looking site; it’s also about providing a great experience for the user.
