There are countless reasons why it’s good to make a website redesign every once in a while. Some recommendations are that any website, including credit union websites, should be refreshed every three years. Whatever the reason or timing, if you decide to redesign your credit union website it’s of prime importance to keep your digital marketing strategy in mind. Many marketers often make various mistakes in this process which may result in significant drops in organic traffic or a negative impact on the overall website performance.
In other words, redesigning your credit union website should be a carefully planned endeavor with clear steps that wouldn’t cause chaos in your Google Analytics metrics. To help you succeed, we have listed some of the most common content and web design mistakes marketers make during a website redesign.
Not analyzing your current web design
Before you go ahead and completely redesign your website take your time to analyze the current credit union website design and determine its advantages. Which elements are good, functional, and truly represent your brand. It wouldn’t be a good idea to replace a perfectly suitable section of your website with a new one especially if it’s frequently used by your visitors. They can get used to it and don’t want to see it removed. The best approach here would be to review the latest credit union website design trends and compare them to your own. See which elements of your website no longer work or are outdated and replace them with fresh and new designs.
Not checking and preserving existing page rankings
One of the most common mistakes marketers make when redesigning a website is not reviewing the existing page rankings. Whether you do your own SEO strategy or you have hired an agency it’s paramount that you look after your website metrics. It’s a well-known fact that credit union websites have the purpose of attracting visitors who would turn into customers, which means that you need to keep your organic traffic in mind. Pay extra attention to your high-ranking pages, those that drive the most traffic to your website, and make sure you keep your URLs the same or apply the proper redirects.
Not taking functionality into consideration
Design over functionality can be a very common mistake during a website redesign. For the purpose of refreshing your website and making it look better your design team may focus more on the look and feel of the website, naturally, as that is their specialty. As a result, many times some design changes are made at the cost of website functionality. This is not a good practice because users prefer to interact with a well-responsive and functional website rather than struggle with opening a page on a visually appealing website.
Not to mention the fact that having a mobile-friendly and responsive credit union website can greatly help with your SEO performance.
Not having a proper content strategy
Undoubtedly, this would be the ideal timing for a complete content review and determine whether your website content needs to be updated. Many marketers make the mistake of working on the design and copy separately which is not the best practice. Both design and content need to be worked on collaboratively as the page ranking depends on high-quality content as well as on its loading and visuals. For that reason, it’s important to think about the content while designing the pages and all website sections.
Not setting goals
Finally, one thing that has to be determined at the start of the credit union website redesign is setting up the goals and objectives of this process. Does the website need a new design because it’s outdated, non-responsive or it’s a question of rebranding? Whatever the reason, it’s important to know what to expect as a result of this website redesign and have a well-defined plan and timeline.
Ultimately, the best way to avoid making these mistakes is to surround yourself with a team of experts in the field and set up a smart strategy.
