How up to date is your website ? Is it time to clean up, modernize, reach new customers online? Then you are faced with a relaunch . A company’s website is a vital marketing tool. We clarify what is behind a website relaunch , why it is relevant for every company and how you can approach the process of the new publication in the best possible way.
Definition: What is a website relaunch?
For a website, relaunch means (quote): a measure used in web development to optimize an (existing) website. The aim of the relaunch is to adapt an outdated website visually and functionally to current standards.
The focus is on the adequate presentation of the content of the website – called content. Improvements in user experience, visibility and reach are also important.
The integration of all relevant factors is a process and therefore requires some time. With the website relaunch , special emphasis is placed on the areas of web design, content and user-friendliness.
Trigger: why a website relaunch?
A central function of every website is to represent the associated company. Your website must convey your positioning, your competence and your authenticity in a credible way.
This results in the first relevant trigger for the relaunch of a website: updating . An outdated website represents the wrong thing. If something changes in your company, then the website will change as well.
Surely you know the feeling that your website somehow no longer fits .
Every structural change requires a renewal of the website.
Every website is also used by visitors to get a first impression. The question behind it: How modern, how trustworthy is your company?
This is the second trigger for a relaunch. Because companies can stagnate in their growth. And a relaunch – a reorientation of the website – can increase the range and attract new customers .
The third possible trigger is also the most urgent: The current standards in technology and data protection often mean that outdated websites have to be renewed. Technically, websites are now mostly accessed via mobile devices. For this, the page needs a responsive design that converts the website accordingly. Here your visitor demands a modernity from your website relaunch.
And the legislature also demands this: The acute data protection laws are paramount for users and customers. Non-compliance or violations result in severe penalties. Here, too, the website relaunch is the right measure to comply with guidelines for cookies, marketing and data protection.
Speed: The when of a website relaunch?
Many companies see the website relaunch as a comprehensive project. If so, then the new edition should cover many aspects permanently. Such a relaunch often has project times of up to a year. Other companies want to be faster or have different framework conditions. A partial relaunch of the website is often sought here.
Objectives: Why the website relaunch?
How familiar are you with the following questions:
- Do I like our website? Does it look outdated?
- Is that what visitors expect when they visit us?
- Does the website set the right priorities?
- Do users like the way they are guided through my site?
- Do our statements fall on open ears?
- Is my old website GDPR compliant?
- Why does our website look so awful on a tablet?
- …
There is a high probability that you have already asked yourself one of these questions. These questions also indicate the possible goals of a website relaunch:
- Modernize and appear contemporary .
The first impression of the website helps to build trust among visitors. - Position yourself in the best possible way .
Their uniqueness should be apparent to the visitor at a glance. - Present highlights and let them shine for the user .
The content must correspond to the expectations of your visitors . - keep hurdles low .
The ideal of any website is the perfect experience for visitors and users.
Including a hassle-free contact - Comply with data protection and regulations .
The legal situation is very clear here, strengthens your visitors and requires concrete measures for almost every website relaunch.
Your website relaunch may not have all of these goals. But most likely a combination of a few. Each one is important if you want your updated website to truly represent your business. And to turn happy visitors into new customers with the right content .
Strategy: The Best Website Relaunch?
A complex process like relaunching your website requires planning and strategy. In short, four necessary phases can be distinguished:
- Analysis
It is important to determine how you want to present yourself. Who should visit your website. How you want to differentiate yourself from the competition. What else do you like about the existing website? And what has to be different in each case.
This is how you clarify your goals. - Conception
Your own demands must be reconciled with the needs of website visitors and with the content strategy of the company.
This explains your strategy. - Design
Of course you should also like your website. But the far more important design aspects are the usability of the website, optimization for marketing and sales, and the visitor’s experience while enjoying your content.
This is how you reach your target groups. - Technical implementation
Only the programming and then subsequent tests and improvements finally lead to the actual re-release of the website.
This is how a classic relaunch works.
It is undisputed that every relaunch will be a process. But how do you design this process in the best possible way?
We recommend determining the purpose of your website first. For many business models, an online presence rounds off marketing. The website is used more for self-portrayal than for addressing customers.
But a website can serve multiple purposes.
If direct contact and dialogue with customers and potential new customers are a competitive advantage for your business model, then a change of method during the relaunch is also recommended. Because the classic method is time-consuming and there are actually updates again when it is completed.
The Growth Driven Design approach pursues the most direct, permanent contact with your visitors .
The web design and the conception are not shown here as a project that will be completed with the relaunch. Rather, a basic page – called the Launch Pad – is constantly being designed and improved.
Customers and fans and you find each other as a community. This ideal takes the website from project to work in progress . And from the classic marketing tool to the direct customer channel.
Conclusion
A website relaunch brings a company’s website up to date. It affects all websites, their design, media and materials. First and foremost in strategy and purpose.
Structural changes, the desire for modernity or legal requirements are the most common triggers. The objectives can be far more diverse.
Be contemporary. Build a community. Present yourself in the best possible way. Achieve marketing goals and drive sales decisively. – These objectives are leading. – You have claims against you. Visitors expect an experience . An exciting, smooth research during your visit. The legislator expects a high level of customer and data protection.
The website relaunch process begins with extensive analysis. From this, a concept is developed, technically implemented and designed. The relaunch itself marks the end of the process.
As an alternative to the classic approach, there is also a variant:
Growth Driven Design .
The purpose here is to establish direct, permanent, interactive contact with new and existing customers via the website. As a process, Growth Driven Design does not find a real conclusion. Permanent change and adaptation make this method a work in progress and at the same time a direct instrument for modern customer acquisition.