A company website today is more than just the digital address of an organisation. It is essential for online marketing. But a website needs a relaunch every now and again, in other words a refresh, in order to remain competitive.
When does a website need a relaunch?
Even today, the websites of many B2B companies appear old-fashioned. A simple introduction of the company, as well as the products and services on offer, frequently is not enough anymore to contend with the competition. Exclusive content that ranks on Google, a responsive design and an intuitive user navigation are the essential standards of every B2B website today.
You can find out if your website is up to date or requires a relaunch based on the following criteria:
- The number of website visitors or the dwell time of the users on the website is continually decreasing.
- The information and news on the website is not current anymore; content from previous years is at the top of the home page or on the subpages.
- There is no clear content marketing strategy on the website; topics are only touched on here and there, without a structure.
- Not all of the new products and services can be found on the website; certain areas of business are not mentioned at all.
- The website is difficult to use and not easily readable when visited via a mobile end device.
- New functions cannot be effortlessly integrated into the website.
- It takes too long for the website to load.
- The website consists mainly of random copy blocks; graphical elements to break up the design are missing.
The more above-mentioned points that describe your website, the more urgent it is for you to relaunch it.
These 5 steps matter most when it comes to a website relaunch
A website relaunch affects both the content and the design, as well as the technical infrastructure and the user-friendliness. The following five steps should be taken into account in all cases:
1. Prepare the launch well
Without extensive preparations, any relaunch is destined to fail. These include an analysis of the target group as well as a prioritisation of the individual steps, in collaboration with all the relevant departments within the company. Take a look at the competition, also in other industries, to see how websites can be designed and let these inspire you. What’s more, free up personnel for the relaunch, as such a task usually cannot be taken care of simply on the side.
2. Leverage search engine optimisation
A very important part of the redesign of the website is the SEO relaunch. After all, when you rework your website from the ground up and move to a new domain, it could be the case that the search engines can no longer find your current content. This lowers you in the ranking or you disappear from the result altogether. Therefore, it’s important that all the content being ranked is linked to the new domain. URLs and subpages which draw in just a few visitors can be summarised on a new subpage or removed completely.
3. Build up content clusters
Identify the topics that your target group is interested in and then compile relevant and high-quality content which covers these topics as far as possible. These content clusters lend your company the status of being an expert in the respective fields. Content can include blog articles, white papers, case studies, videos and all other formats which you generate within the scope of content marketing. Structure your content in a clear way. Thanks to internal links, the many bundled bits of information and the clear structure, your new website is not only user-friendly, it is also relevant for search engines.
4. Put leads generation in the spotlight
A B2B company website is the ideal platform for collecting sales-relevant contacts. So, make sure you create lots of opportunities during the relaunch to generate leads. High-quality content such as white papers can be accessible via registration, or newsletters boosted with attractive discount promotions. To profit from this, however, it is necessary to register via a prominently placed contact form.
5. Work with care
Take your time once you have completed the relaunch work. First, generate a reduced test version of the new website. Once you are certain that everything functions smoothly, you can renew your website bit by bit. Inform your customers and ask them to contact you should they notice any possible errors. Make sure the migration takes place at a time when just a few visitors are usually on your website. This enables you to reduce any negative effects should errors occur.
