You have a company website. Nowadays, even a plumber would have a website. Why wouldn't you?
But recently you have been approached by a few web designers, who offered to redesign your site for you. They promise you the sky. They promise you will get a lot out of a redesign. Of course they charge you a bit of money.
Now the question is: should I go for it?
You may want to consider a few things:
1. The use of your website. What is the purpose of having this website? To act as a product catalog? Or is it just a 5-page website introducing your company? If later, then you should rebuild it. A 5-page website is not going to lead you to anything.
2. The age of your website. Was it designed 10 years ago? People's taste changed. The last thing you want is someone reached your site (if they ever reach you) and leave because it is old fashioned. They won't even look at your content. No matter it is the layout, the logo, the color theme - you just need to make sure it is close to the latest trend.
3. Maintenance of your website. Do you still pay a college kid $20 an hour to update your site? Or have you ever updated your site? Either way indicates that you need to redesign it. Get a CMS (content management system) so that you can make sure the site is up-to-date all the time.
4. How much is it to redesign? Although there are lots of people offering you to finish the job in less than $1000, chances are they are fresh in the field. If you are willing to pay that low, be prepared to face a lot of issues.
5. Your site can't be found on search engines? You may not need a redesign, but you may need some SEO (search engine optimization) work done on the site. Talk to your designer. If they don't know what is SEO, they are either too fresh or outdated.
For your site to be found on the Search Engine, I recommend you to employ a blog on your site. And of course you have to make sure you add posts to the blog on a frequent basis.
6. Rethink - Do I really need a new website? Make sure the new website is going to generate revenue for you. It can be product sales, sales leads, registration etc. You name it. You know what you want. Put it on the site.
Okay, so you have decided to have a new website then? Make sure:
1. You can maintain it yourself or by one of your staff
2. It generates enough revenue for you to cover your cost
3. It represents your business professionally
4. Get a good and reliable host. Web hosting in the US are relatively cheap compared to the rest of the world. You can get a reliable account for as low as $2.99 per month!
5. Make sure the new design still, somehow, relate to your old site. When people arrive at your site, they would think "oh it is a new design of what I wanted" other than "oh I got the wrong site".
