This is the question that you too may be asking when it comes to your website…

If one has an established website with many visitors, this is a question that most would approach with caution, and for good reason. The last thing that you would want to do is be a turn-off to your regular visitors who really do not enjoy change. At the same time though, change is often essential.

A few useful points around this topic:

URL’s Should Remain The Same

Your urls should not change because you will end up with frustrated visitors, and the reason being that when they click on an old search result of yours it will no longer exist because your url changed. Not good, it’s called a 404 (Page Not Found) error.

Having said that, we (1st Dot) have been forced to break this rule twice in the past. Firstly, when we changed from DNA Designers to 1st Dot, and secondly when we opted for a shorter domain name; and that’s just one of those things. What you could do to lessen the bad effect associated with url changes is to design a special 404 page template that appropriately redirects your visitors.

In the meantime you need to work on your SEO to rebuild the organic search visibility on your new urls. If you are going to change your urls in spite of this article, be sure to choose excellent names that will describe the content of the relevant page well to help improve your search rankings.

Go Mobile-Friendly | Responsive

This is a very good reason to do a complete overhaul of your site. Alternatively you may consider registering a completely new domain name which will be dedicated to your mobile users. For example, let’s say your website is www.oldstylesite.co.za you may consider registering www.mob-oldstylesite.co.za. Then you need to provide links between your old and new mobile-friendly site.

Entice User Interaction

As a website owner you are obviously trying to get visits rather than being a lost desert island in the middle of nowhere, right? By adding features such as a blog, forum or social network and making sure that you are an active participant, you are encouraging user interaction which is what we want. In addition, by making it possible for visitors to share your pages you are definitely creating that user participation. Someone is more likely going to visit your site when it has been recommended by one of their friends on a social network.

More Media

Images, graphics and audio visuals speak louder than thousands of words in most cases, but written content is obviously very important for search engines to find your site.

Change is as Good as a Holiday

For most visitors, changing your site for the better will be like breath of fresh air. Be sure to find that perfect balance between elegance of composition and the call to action.

If you need any other advice or assistance along these lines please feel free to drop us a line at: info@1stdot.co.za | 1st Dot is a small business situated in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa and we pride ourselves in our ability to offer our clients dedicated and undivided attention. 1st Dot is bursting with creativity and enthusiasm.