Redesign vs Evolution

Redesigns are for the most part, a thing of the past.  In the 90s, when I was just starting out as an Internet developer, contracted out by one company to an Atlanta tech darling, complete site redesignes were recommended every 18 months!  I ended up as lead developer at that 85 person company and pushed for sites to evolve for success.  Boy, that wasn't a good idea!  The owners thought it as blasphamous to the bottom line since redesigns made a lot more money than revisioning phases.  That was the year 2000.  The company tanked a year or two later with many others.  If they had done right by the customer, showed real results rather than the next slighly more visually pleasing template, would they have survived?  YOU BET!

Businesses wants quality.  Now that I run the Internet strategies and intiatives for the largest company headquarted in Denver Colorado, I see the bottom line and know what it takes to keep the client, me, happy!  I need results, and a complete redesign does not get there these days as the project is just too big and risky. 

That is why I recommend to my internal clients, positive incremental changes based on solid intelligence.  We have great visiblity into site usage with statistics, especially for those of us with a decade or more experience looking at web stats before and after little and big changes.  With this intelligence, we often know exactly what to do, HERE and THERE!  Not what to do ALL OVER.  That picture evolves and needs a greater strategic plan, especially for proper evolution, but it does not mean a complete redo is inorder!

I left that company for a brief stint as an Oracle database designer/developer eventually ending up back as a lead Internet developer at my current company before moving to the business side of everything "Internet".  Thank god I was once worked for a dot bomb, as that experience is invauable now that I run my own "show".

If you do have to redesign a site, check out "Understanding Web Hosting" by Dirk Knemeyer at http://trackmedia.blogspot.com/2005/11/web-design-for-all-senses-innovating.html

Comments

[Michael Myer]

Hi, do any of you bloggers know anything about the viral widget called BlogRush. Apparantly it was just launched yesterday.

I found it here in the top of the right column at this Ning site.
www.Linkedin-Entrepreneurs.com

It's supposed to give you reciprical traffic based on reading the content of your page like Adsense does (but it doesn't pay anything, just gives free traffic).

It says you actually get like 10x or more traffic back, due to some exponential growth aspect of it. (multi tier affiliate based on who signs under you?)

Does this kind of thing really work? I wouldn't say no to free traffic.

[Michael Myer]

Hi, do any of you bloggers know anything about the viral widget called BlogRush. Apparantly it was just launched yesterday.

I found it here in the top of the right column at this Ning site.
www.Linkedin-Entrepreneurs.com

It's supposed to give you reciprical traffic based on reading the content of your page like Adsense does (but it doesn't pay anything, just gives free traffic).

It says you actually get like 10x or more traffic back, due to some exponential growth aspect of it. (multi tier affiliate based on who signs under you?)

Does this kind of thing really work? I wouldn't say no to free traffic.

[Doug Jones]

I'm all for redesign, but I want to make sure my efforts are productive. I've been looking for software to help me and I've come across three that seem promising --Artemis, Glyphius, and Nemeas. Does anyone have experience with using these to help redesign sites, increase traffic, choose better names / phrases, etc.?

Thanks,

Doug

[David Jones]

I do like to see sites that evolve, but sometimes this can make them far to complicated.

I agree with doug, the tools offered by James Brausch are top notch!

[Daniel Mcgonagle]

This is an information that is obviously of great value. I totally
agree with your statements.Thanks for sharing it!

[Melanie]

I think gradual evolution of a site works best, as your experience has taught you.

I must say this blog has proven very helpful to me - I just came across it and have been reading through all the posts.

I'm thinking of starting a blog and have been looking for valuable Internet marketing information.

Oh, and Doug, I've heard that those James Brausch products work really well. Actually, I was just looking at his site (http://www.JamesBrausch.com) and it seems worthwhile to check out.

[Jeff Makepeace]

Hi there, Internet marketing has its own importance than offline marketing. It need more effort including seo, article submission, press release submission, social networking websites, youtube anysource where you can get traffic. Every online business need more aggresive promotion because there is big competition in internet marketing world.

[NatureLimit]

I must say this blog has proven very helpful to me.I just came across it and have been reading through all the posts.I thinking of starting a blog and have been looking for valuable Internet marketing information.