A Website on the Operating Table: 3 Tips for your Relaunch

Perhaps unsurprisingly, digitalisation strategies almost always include developing a new website. That’s great news for us, sure. But when the big relaunch is just used to re-propose the status quo in a fresh new design, then maybe we should stop calling it a new website – it’s more likely to be a large investment that won’t pay off. If the added value of the web project is hard to see, it becomes even harder to justify the costs within the company. The ROI cannot be proven, so the budget might be cut for the following years.

To truly redesign a website, an agency must understand the company's business model and target audience in depth. These are three approaches we find useful:
 

1. Website as a Service

A worst-case scenario: I’m on a company’s website looking for a person I need to contact. After a long scroll, I find a page called “Company” on the “About us” section of the website. I land on “Our Values”, where the company proceeds to tell me how straightforward and personal their service is. Really? My customer journey has quickly turned into an exhausting online odyssey, with no trace of intuitive user experience. When we run a website, we first need to understand where users come from and what their needs are. Not only do we need to let them find relevant products and content in the right place, we also want to show them the next steps they can take.

Tip: When it comes to website structures, we swear by pillar pages: A pillar page is an umbrella article that gives readers a broad overview of a main topic. It contains links to sub-topics and in-depth articles, so it works a bit like a table of contents for the content of the page. We bundle content for specific needs, highlight what's relevant, and offer more in-depth options - just as we would in a face-to-face sales call.

2. Digitization of processes

A smart website ties in with company procedures. Let's assume that your help desk is completely swamped with poorly organized requests: This is where a website can add value by structuring requests using smart forms; it can compile FAQs so that questions sort themselves out; it could offer swift assistance using automated chatbots; or it could even forward requests directly to the right place using a login and an interface to the CRM system.

An example from our portfolio: 

When Airport Taxi Zurich secured the cab licenses for Zurich Airport, they had to recruit more than 200 drivers within a few months. Doing it the traditional way? Impossible. So we programmed a customized application tool: with a form that structures content and with the option of manual labelling and status assignment. It was the digitalization of the application process that made this mammoth task possible in the first place.

Tip: Digitization is not just about offering content online - it is primarily about digitizing processes. For example, by creating interfaces to ERP and CRM systems, streamlining existing structures and simplifying processes. 

3. New sources of revenue

A web store is open 24/7 - unaffected by location or rent. Well-designed web stores also offer cross-selling and upselling products alongside information on stock levels and delivery times. They are a multiplier for sales, that much is obvious. Somewhat less obvious are a website's other potential sources of sales: Would a customer consider paying for online consultations or content? Would they rate products or suggest optimizations? Would users recommend the company to their network? These are questions worth asking when working on a new website.

Tip: If you know the customer base, their interests, and their behavior on the website (within the framework of the General Data Protection Regulation, of course), you can also rethink services and product structures: e.g., by offering individual packages, licensing models with monthly prices, or variable pricing models.

The possibilities are endless and we could go on forever. But at its core, this blog article is here to share something we’ve learned over many, many web projects: If you want to embrace the digital age, don’t just freshen up your website – think about how you could use it to restructure your processes and company.