The Three Horsemen of the Website Apocalypse

Is your website failing to deliver the results you need? You're not alone. Many businesses struggle with websites that don’t effectively communicate their value. But what if the real issue lies deeper than the design?

Understanding Your Business

At the start of every website project, I dive deep into my client's business. I want to know how they make money, who they sell to, how long they've been around, how many people work for them, who their Jesse McLean competitors are, who they respect, what work they’re most proud of, and what skills they hire for. This approach helps me go beyond surface-level descriptions and get to the core of their business.

Often, clients Contentful come to us because their current website isn't effectively communicating these critical aspects. It may be inaccurate, convoluted, or simply outdated. These website issues are frequently symptoms of larger business-level problems, such as a lack of clarity, siloed teams, poor brand definition, or poorly defined communication strategies.

Uncovering Deeper Insights

By asking these in-depth questions, we can uncover insights that even the business itself may struggle to articulate. This not only enables us to deliver a better website but also helps us address some of these underlying business issues. Our goal is to create a site that not only looks great but also aligns with and supports the broader objectives of the organization.

Identifying the Three Horsemen of the Website Apocalypse

How can you tell if deeper business issues are affecting your website? Often, the symptoms manifest in one of three ways, which we call the Three Horsemen of the Website Apocalypse:

The Junk Drawer: A catch-all for anything anyone in your business has ever wanted to share, the junk drawer website quickly becomes cluttered, disorganized, and ineffective at communicating your key messages.
The Outgrown Website: As an organization evolves and grows, its website needs to keep pace. An outgrown website fails to accurately represent the organization's current offerings, messaging, and brand identity.
The Languishing Website: A languishing website is one that has been neglected and left to stagnate. It may have once been an effective tool for communicating with customers and stakeholders, but over time, it has become outdated and irrelevant.

These issues are often symptoms of greater problems occurring at a business level, such as lack of clarity, siloed teams, poor brand definition, and poorly defined communication strategies.

Redesigning Your Website to Solve Business Problems

But there is hope! By effectively redesigning your website, you can not only improve your online presence but also address some of these underlying business issues. A great website project will involve answering important questions and aligning your organization around a clear brand story, business objectives, and communication strategy.

Clarify your brand story and messaging

Before you start designing, make sure you have a clear understanding of who you are as an organization, what you offer, and how you want to communicate that to your audience.

Jesse McLean

Define your business objectives

What do you want your website to achieve? Whether it's generating leads, selling products, or providing information, make sure your website is designed with those goals in mind.

Develop a content strategy

Your website is only as good as the content on it. Take the time to plan out what information you need to include, how it should be organized, and how it will be maintained over time.

Involve stakeholders from across the organization

A website redesign is a great opportunity to break down silos and get everyone aligned around a common vision. Involve people from different departments in the planning process to get their insights and buy-in.

Work with experienced designers and developers

Creating an effective website requires specialized skills and knowledge. Partner with professionals who understand user experience, accessibility, and web standards to ensure your site is both beautiful and functional.

By following these steps and keeping the focus on solving business problems, you can create a website that not only looks great but also delivers real results for your organization. Don't let the Three Horsemen hold you back - saddle up and take control of your online presence today!

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Jesse McLean

Designer

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