Here at Lake Solutions, we don’t deliver a website and leave our client to ‘get on with it’. In fact, that’s really just the beginning of our relationship. We are there on an ongoing basis to keep on top of SEO, update sections when needed, integrate any third-party applications, sort out any security issues and generally keep it running well.
Very often, businesses will look at a website they might have invested a lot of money in to develop and maintain and make a decision that they ‘need a new one’. They might feel that the design looks dated or the business has undergone a rebrand and the website needs to reflect that. However, what about the SEO results they’ve worked so hard to achieve, the content and images which they’ve invested in creating and the tech which is working hard behind the scenes?
In addition, we know how hard we’ve worked with our clients to make their websites accessible. If you start again with a new website, you’ll need to spend time and money making it accessible all over again.
It is amazing how much value can be built up in your website over time – including any third-party integrations (with your CRM for instance), content, accessibility features, security, bug fixing, architecture and sheer time. If you build your next website with us at Lake Solutions, then you’ll be future-proofing all of this investment and you won’t need to start all over again.
The way we build websites at Lake Solutions allows us to enhance and re-skin the site, without going back to the drawing board.
It's also important to consider the time it’s taken to train your team on your existing platform. It can take a while for people feel confident enough to add new content without constantly referring to notes.
Here at Lake Solutions, we believe that if you’ve got the tech right, your website can simply continue to evolve. You don’t actually need to start again from scratch.
Interestingly when most businesses consider a new website, they will typically focus on the design. They might call in two or more agencies and make a decision based on the design which best reflects the brand, goals and ambitions of the business. While good design matters, what goes on behind the scenes and whether the website actually works for your business is more important.
The website design is simply the clothing somebody wears. While you might have two people turning up for a job interview – first impressions always count and you’ll probably gravitate towards the person who looks the smartest. However, that might be where the positives start and finish… possibly they have no experience for that role at all… You need to consider your website from the ground up.
If you have the platform, the tech, the accessibility and the security right, then you are in a position to take a longer view. You can refresh your branding perhaps every three to five years but the main elements of your website – if built correctly and securely in the first place – can remain in place for a longer period.
Here’s another analogy. Most of us have a project on the go at home; for example, we might be looking at updating and redecorating your sitting room. If that’s the case, you would not start by demolishing your whole house to achieve that! You would simply tweak and update what needs doing. In the same way, if your website works but the design looks tired – don’t start the project with a bulldozer.
The effort that goes on behind the scenes to make a website work is not always taken into account. This could include compliance and security, as well as the work to integrate third party systems. Why would you throw all that in the bin?
Continually working on the website and making incremental improvements as and when can prove more cost-effective over time, particularly when compared with the cost of a full-scale rebuild. Often this can maintain customer experience as well, as they are used to navigating your existing website and avoids confusing them by moving familiar elements elsewhere.
However, this really only applies to larger corporates. If you are a sole trader with a single page website, which simply lists the services you provide and your contact details, then it is a far easier decision to throw your existing website away and launch an entirely new one. If that’s the case, it’s more straightforward and less costly to simply use one of the off-the-shelf website building packages.
Returning to the analogy of your house. You wouldn’t ask your local decorator – however good they are – to build the foundations of your new home. You would call upon a specialist for that job.
At Lake Solutions, we know our primary skills lie in the technology and architecture behind a website, so we do sometimes work alongside another agency that has produced designs for the website and might, typically, be rolling out new branding across the company from the website to new banners and signage.
In conclusion, when you choose your next web agency, choose one like Lake Solutions, as we will support you to future-proof your website. Talk to us today: 0203 397 3222.