The State of Inbound report 2015 was released today, and this year it goes global, including data from Aussie marketers.
The top finding of this years report—Three out of 4 marketers across the globe prioritise an inbound approach to marketing.
How do Aussie marketers compare to the rest of the world? I'll get to that, let's take a look at some of the key findings of this years report.
How many times have you rebuilt your website? If you're like most businesses you've done it every 2 to 3 years since you've had a website. Think back to each time you've done a website redesign. Chances are you didn't enjoy any of your previous website rebuilds and you're not looking forward to the next one.
The reason that we’ve come to accept the fact that a website redesign is one giant headache is because of the approach we take to build them. The traditional website redesign process is filled with systemic risk and always requires a lot more effort from us than we expect, even when we hire a professional website developer to do it for us.
You might have guessed from what I said above that the biggest problem in website design is the way projects are run, which leads to several issues, one of the biggies being it places too much of an unexpected burden on the website owner.
One of the biggest challenges we have with our clients is helping them to understand how to edit their websites. Until now every website development and management system we've seem separates content management from the website itself. You edit the website in a completely different looking interface than the public view of the website itself. Most of these systems easily understood only by IT techs and are challenging for everybody else.
The result of this problem is that website content isn't being updated when issues are identified causing conversion rates to fall.
This all changes today as HubSpot has released their next generation of website tools. This update allows you to edit the content right where you see it, in the public view of the website. Not only that, you get mobile optimisation and SEO assistance built in.
One of the most common initial questions we're asked by prospects is "how much for a website?". This is a challenging one to answer before we've had a conversation about the scope of the project. I like to start at the value provided by the existing website and the business goals for the new website.
When the conversation is turned to one of value/investment rather than pure cost we often find the scope of the project evolves. Understanding what the website is producing and how much can be safely invested to achieve the business goals for the website puts you in a powerful position. A position which makes it easy to make the right decisions about your website redesign rather than making decisions hampered by budget constraints.
Most web design projects either go over time or over budget, or both. Whilst this doesn't mean the project is a disaster, it certainly leaves you with a bad feeling about the project.
It's common for web design projects to be quoted and started without completing a detailed strategy and planning stage. A web design project is far more likely to turn into a disaster when these stages are missed. What else can contribute to a disastrous web design project? Read on...
If you have a website redesign coming up, I guess you're looking for a way to do it which isn't nearly as painful as your last website redesign.
Most websites are rebuilt every 2 or 3 years, and each time seems to be just like the first time. This is the traditional way websites are built and rebuilt.
This issue has been recognised by some developers and a new methodology has been developed which gets you your new website quicker, for a lower up front cost and with better results for your business.
You wouldn't build a new house without a decent set of plans, there's just no telling what you'd get if you just described what you wanted to your builder and let them go. Strangely this is the way many websites are built, a meeting one morning to discuss the project and then set the developer on their way hoping they build what you need and want.
A successful website only comes from solid strategy and a strategy stage needs to include the following steps.
Website development projects put a huge drain on a company's resources and often go way over time & budget. Here's why that happens and how to fix the problem
Most websites are rebuilt every 2 or 3 years with few major changes in between rebuilds. More often than not these rebuilds are not much more than a visual refresh of the website and a tweak of the content to match the business of today.
This type of website development project rarely produces much improvement to the performance of the website. When it next comes time to rebuild your website, do it differently and start by considering a few things you may not have considered in past rebuilds.
Put these 5 items at the top of your list before you start to redevelop your website:
What has prompted your website redesign?
The performance of your existing site against goals
When do you want to commission?
How much of your resources can you put into the project?
The business goals for your new website
When it comes time to redesign your website, and website redesign time seems to come around all too soon, you normally start to think about the features needed in the new website. More often than not the features thought about are features like menu type, image sliders, location finders, site search tools, courses & events, blogs and many more.
