Websites have come a long way since 1991, when inventor of the World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee created the first one – which is still running, by the way. Presently, websites are like extensions of a company’s business or someone’s personality, depending on what their purpose is, and who knows what they might evolve to be in the future. Besides the programming and scripts, the visual features and functionality of a website are the most important, since that’s what a common visitor experiences and is involved with. But the best websites are those who give visitors what they need and owners a return on investment. Here are some strategies for how to measure a website redesign ROI.
1. Know How Much You Invested
You can’t calculate the ROI before knowing how much the whole website will cost with maintenance for a designated period of time. Include everything related to the website’s creation, and plan in advance for possible expenses and further extensions. If you invest your money in a highly functional website in all aspects, you will have much better results in the end, and subsequently higher profits. Also, don’t forget to pay attention to all important factors like the content and design, since those are the things the visitors respond to the most.
2. Determine Goals
One of the most crucial things in business or any activity, for that matter, is to have a goal – something to strive for and to give you purpose. Usually, when it comes to websites the goals tend to be similar, like the successful promotion of your brand and the visitor’s interaction with it, increasing the leads, achieving a high number of subscriptions and registrations. These factors are called Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, and you will use them to measure the success of your website. It’s important to remember that ROI is not always expressed in monetary value, especially when it comes to the non-profit sector which usually advocates a cause or awareness of something.
3. Observe Search Rankings
If you want to have a successful website, you must use correct and proper search engine optimization or SEO. It will help you increase the search rankings by monitoring the frequency of your updates and constantly paying attention to new content on websites. SEO has proven to be a very effective tool in digital marketing and profiting from websites, so if you decide to invest in it make sure you spare no money and you’ll surely be pleased with ROIs.
4. Always Keep an Eye on Activity
Having a website doesn’t mean to let it go freely to fend for itself on the Internet. Even after it’s published, you’ll have to make sure that it is on top of its game. Maintenance will make sure that everything is working according to plan, but tracking the website activity through KPIs will help you have the whole picture on how your baby is doing in the real world. You can use Google Analytics for this, which is free and great for measuring the statistical data of your website, or any other software you deem fit. Factors like traffic, conversion and bounce rates can all be measured with it if you enter the necessary parameters.
5. Make Your Website a Resource
Try not to think about your website as a means to an end, but as a tool or a valuable source of information if you will. This means that you can gather information about your potential customers and their preferences through your website. This will help you satisfy their needs without having to invest extra funds, time and staff in surveys and research. You can create a database from the information you collect, for example of email subscribers, and later use it for better relations with your visitors and potential customers.
Every serious business or organization has their own website. It’s unimaginable to work for success and not be online. But the quality of your website surpasses the mere URL you will share with your partners and potential visitors. It takes a lot of thought and careful planning of every phase and elements your website includes so you can measure ROIs. Just like everything else expected to achieve success and beat the competition, your website is a work in progress which requires expertise, excellent resources, considerable funds and, above all else, patience. Because in the long run, your website can become the most powerful business instrument you have.
