Is your website ready for rebuilding? Sure, a few years ago your website had all the bells and whistles that your Calgary Web designer could offer. But now, the site is beginning to show its age. The Internet lives in dog years more than it does in human years, things change quickly, evolution and revolution go hand in hand.

So, what can you do with your ageing site? Scrap it and start again? Well, it depends. When you start thinking about rebuilding your website, it is as good a time as any to review your entire Web presence. You need to consider how your needs have changed, how Web culture has changed and how your goals for your website have changed too. If you need to look further than that, you will be considering your business model, your business niche, your marketing strategy and budget and your corporate identity. These need to be secured before you move into any new or revitalized Web project. Being secure in these key areas allows you to confidently consider the options for your Web site redesign. Consider everything from the domain to hosting, the script/database platform the site is built on, the functionality of the website (do you want to move into e-commerce, if you haven't already?) the look of the web design and how relevant is your content to today's visitors?

Here are the top ten advantages of Web redesign:

1. Domain and hosting reconsiderations - you can look at more relevent domains for your Web presence and redirect your old domain references using a 301 redirect to ensure all of your search engine results find their corresponding link on your new site.
2. Fresh overall look - has your company's image been updated? Or does your current Web design carry obviously old design trends? Looking established is one thing, looking passe is another! Keep the site design clean and simple to ensure its longevity.
3. Expand your Web site design - many older sites were built to the past standard of 800px wide screens. Now the standard is 1024, which will make narrow screens feel constrained.
4. Update and reorganize content - A redesign gives you permission to turf old news, or at least move it to an archives area, and rewrite your content with content that is freshly enriched with up-to-date search terms and keywords.
5. Navigation and Menu improvement - A key aspect of redesign is a full review of the menu systems and supporting navigation.
6. Refresh photos and images throughout the site - get rid of that old stock photo and add in some custom photos of your own.
7. Update your website's platform to a CMS. If you have a CMS already, make sure it gets updated to the latest version to ensure compatibility, security and functionality.
8. Updated SEO techniques - if you don't keep your search engine optimization up to date, you will lose out to competitors who do.
9. Add video - get rid of that flash intro and put those development funds into adding a custom video clip to your revitalized site.
10. Consider adding ties to Social media - like facebook, twitter and linkedin. Just make sure you are prepared to update and maintain these other media sites in the future.

A redesigned website can be even more powerful than a new website. When done correctly, your Web designer can make sure that the momentum carried by the old site fuels the redesigned site - even if this means a new domain or updated web page addresses.

A final reason for Web site redesign, whether you are in Calgary, Alberta or anywhere else in the world, is to spread the news to clients, friends and everyone else! A Web redesign will get people talking and re-ignite their interest in your company and services.

Looking for a creative solution for your Calgary graphic design and Calgary Web Design needs?
You can find it all at www.blinddrop.com.

Is your company or organization starting the process of getting your Web site made by a professional Web design team? If your company is in Calgary, Alberta or elsewhere, you can help your Web design team, and your company, if you do a bit of preparation before you go seeking Web design quotes and buying domain names. You will save time and money in the long run, since you will be clear on what you want and where you feel comfortable in letting the project go in the hands of the Web design team.

Consider these tips before contacting Calgary Web Design firms.

1. Know your business niche. If you are starting a business or in business already, it is critical for you to know your business niche. Think location, your specialties, and areas you want to focus on in the future. Are you tied to one location, like Calgary, Alberta? Or can you run the business globally? Defining the scope of your targeted audience goes a long way in knowing what keywords and search terms to use on the site and in paid advertising online.
2. Take a look at your current marketing material and how it is branded such as logo, slogan, stationary, business cards, posters, signage, etc. All of these may need to be redone if you don't have the domain name already on them!
3. Search out your competitors, both local and global online. The best Web design attracts local and global audiences and will be accessible to as many visitors as possible, although your focus is more local than global.
4. Search the Web for half a dozen websites that you like for one or more reasons. These websites may be in your niche, but they might be from an entirely different niche. Take note as to what it is you like about that site, is it design, layout, content or some function, such as a blog or gallery?.
5. Choose if you want a dark web design (light text on dark colored field) or a light web design (dark text on a light colored field. Review your business branding and decide what you think will fit your unique situation best. If you are unsure, make a note to discuss this further with your web designer when you meet.
6. Think about what you want the Web site to do: will it be a simple static website? Or will it be interactive? Or is it going to be an e-commerce website?
7. How deep are you willing to go into the development of the site? Will you be able to provide professional, edited copy for the website? Getting a new web site designed is great, but if your content is poorly written then the web design won't matter! Content is King, so make sure you invest properly in this area and consider hiring a professional Web copywriter for the job. Hopefully your design team also offers writing and editing services, but if they don't or you need a different writing style, find a professional who can produce what you need.
8. Create a hierarchy of sections, pages and subpages. An easy way to do this is to look at websites in your niche who have a very similar navigation structure. This will help your Web designer define a realistic timeline for development.
9. Get your logo and any branding elements you use for print onto a disc or ready for emailing.
10. Organize any digital photos that you'd like to see on the website and if you know which page you want them on, list that too. If you need stock or custom photos provided, make sure you note this in your requirements when talking with your Web designer.
11. Define your budget. Consider that a professionally built website will be good for a minimum of three years. Also make room in your budget for hosting, security needs and ongoing marketing for organic SEO and paid advertising.

You can save yourself time and money and provide clear communication with your Web designer if you take a couple of hours to plan out your ideas for your new site. You will be more confident and happy with the final outcome.

Trust your Calgary Web Design requirements to BlindDrop Design Inc. We offer all media services related to the Web and Graphic Design.

Here are five fundamental ways to market your business on the web and on the street:

1. Get properly branded - getting a professional logo design is a great start, but it is also critical to plan your branding, which is based on the customer experience and how your company is interpreted by the customer from near and afar. Get a logo and business card at the minimum and during this process work through basic marketing factors such as demographics, culture, sales region and budgeting for advertising.

2. Develop a custom Web presence - Once you have the branding planned and established you can move this onto the Web by getting a custom site that supports your branding and business model. Ideally, you will secure  a domain, website and domain-based email addresses. The site should reflect the corporate identity, provide essential information about your company and also provide service to generate sales. If e-commerce is not a suitable fit for your company's services, you can use a custom form to direct and define sales, or use an online chat system to connect with your customer directly.   

3. Market your Web presence Online - this includes having an active website, email list and any active submissions to groups, help sites or forums. You can also increase traffic and sales by actively managing your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing) campaigns each week. Examples of this are commenting on blogs, getting back links to your site and running paid advertisements in search engines and directories. The more focused and niche-based your campaigns are online, the better results you will have. But, keep in mind that you need to research what people are looking for and balance those results with what you'd like them to see.

4. Market your Web presence Offline - this is the only way you can attract people to your online business when they are not at their computer. Look at any magazine from the early 1990's (if you can find one) and I wager it will be nearly impossible to find ads with web addresses in them. These days classified ads, newspaper ads, posters, uniforms, video, tv, vehicle signage, stationary and pretty much any media channel is used by businesses to promote their Web presence. If your website is e-commerce enabled, then your offline marketing efforts can drive direct sales to your company just by handing out a business card. The customer may never call your number, but they may well purchase something from you with nothing more than a good first impression.

5. Be Consistent and be Professional - in all cases, whether online or offline, be consistent with your branding and communications. Being professional does not mean being overly conservative, but it does require conscious attention to details. For example, simple typos in an introductory letter or a broken link on your website can detract from the overall image of your company. Make sure you follow your initial branding plan and mission statement and triple-check any published items that cannot be easily changed.