Website Redesign

What is your reason for a website redesign?
I've been reading this article from Gerry Mcgovern with a heading 'Web redesign is bad strategy'. http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2007/nt-2007-07-30-redesign.htm My reasons for a website redesign is to respond from customer feedback about the site, reviews from usability experts, company rebranding and make the site visually appealing. Another would be to make a site SEO friendly. Search Engine Optimisation is more than just 'keywords' and 'descriptions' but contents. Search engines cant read Flash pages and images needs 'alt' tags. What is your reason for a website redesign?

Well, having just re-designed a few sites, I have to disagree entirely with Gerry's article. I assume he was paid to spout all that mis-information and really he doesnt seem to have the slightest grasp about what is good or bad for anything. Notice if you will that one third of his post is consumed (padded) by his simple analogy of the Jones family, which was at best weak and I struggled to find any real similarity between cats peeing in the wrong place and efficiently managing a website .....anyone else share that thought? His view that most websites are re-designed as they have fallen into disrepair is just wrong! Most websites are re-designed as the marketing departments of the company go through a re-branding exercise or a promotional strategy change and, quality of your web presence is the obvious place to make the first changes when you implement the new strategies. From this stems the need to stay abreast of new technologies and embrace them where they will work for your organisation. Dynamic HTML, SEO, CSS are all examples of progressive technologies and all make good reasons to re-design. Sure you can post "good quality content" in a plain old html page but if it doesnt look exciting then people wont read it. It seems that if Gerry had his way, we would all still be reading text web pages.......you just have to move with the times....again, anyone with me there? Hmm, turned into a bit of a rant there......hope you enjoy :)

Help with questionnaire for a website redesign?
Please help, i am constructing a questionnaire to help with a brief for a website redesign. I will ask respondents to go to the website and then fill in the questionnaire. Does anyone have any generic questions i could use as a starting point. Thanks!!

How about: What information would you like to read on this website? What resources would you like to find here?

Where can a find a volunteer to redesign my website?
I haven't yet filed for a 501c3 but am looking for a volunteer to redesign my website. Its a housing database for homeless and/or low-income individuals and families. thanks Christopher

Hi Christopher, I think it's wonderful that you have a charitable attitude and heart. Have you tried the Volunteer Web Design page? http://www.volunteerwebdesign.com/ Sometimes they charge a modest fee. There is also the "Altrue" site, which is similar: http://www.altrue.com/templates/System/default.asp?id=39153 Have you also tried contacting local businesses in your area (the yellow pages are great for this) and just asking them for pro-bono work? A lot of the time they can get a tax write-off for their business for this, so it never hurts to try. Best wishes to you!

Can I redesign a website if I don't have the information from the previous person who designed it?
My mother is looking to redesign her website, however, the woman who designed her website in the first place will not return her calls. We do not have any of the information on how to access the site and change it. My finace would love to help her out with it, but we just don't know how to. Any suggestion??

You need to be able to access the site files from the hosting company through FTP. Then you can modify the html files. So if you dont have the login or password you will need or try contacting your hosting company.

How can I redesign our website- WITHOUT an expensive website developer?
The catering company I work for has had our current website design and domain name for years. The developer we've been working with is no longer in business and we thought it would be a good time to redesign our look and update the information. How can we do this ourselves, without hiring a pricey website developer???

The easiest way for a novice to build a web site is to start with a web template. Web Templates can be customized and you can use the layout but swap the graphics etc.... this will get you comfortable with basic HTML design and an HTML editor (like Dreamweaver). Here are some resources for free or inexpensive templates that are easy to edit and manage. Webmaster Templates - http://www.webmaster-templates.net Free Web Templates - http://www.freewebtemplates.com/ Web Design Elements - http://www.webdesign-elements.com Free Website Templates - http://www.freewebsitetemplates.com/ Free Layouts - http://www.freelayouts.com/ Free Templates Online - http://www.freetemplatesonline.com HTML website templates can significantly ease the burden of designing and creating websites by providing webmasters with a ready-made web layout, structure, basic graphics, and color scheme. The templates can generally be edited and customized with any HTML editor. The biggest advantage for webmasters using ready-made templates is the amount of time that can be saved.

How do I find a new webmaster to help me redesign my website?
The webmaster who is currently designing my organization's website is difficult to reach and is taking artistic liberties with my website! Where do I look to find a new webmaster that will fix and maintain my website for a fair price?

I am a freelance designer, and as such, i have the flexability of price, personal service and i am avalible when you need me. my current sites are http://www.recipebite.co.uk and i am in the middle of designing my freelance site http://www.fmat.co.uk I always design to 3wc standards, i have had 5 years of experience behind me, i am young and full of ideas - ideal for any individual or company that is looking for a very personal service. I can also build using cms ( content management systems ), i have extensive knowledge in phpbb forums, and i also have had extensive knowledge of xhtml, html, and css If you went with the cms system, it would mean that you can adjust your website yourself from any computer in the world, without the need to re-employ a designer an be charged excessive amounts - this includes adding extra pages yourself - its that easy - ( you will be in complete control ) - i would charge £900.00 for a complete re-resign, including headers and images, all will belong to you once the site is finished. This will also include extras too, like a shopping cart if you want it, and paid members - again - if you want it, and lots more i can be contacted via yahoo,( the form on my devlopers website is not working yet ) i hope to hear from you soon

Would it be ok to redesign a website without asking for permission?
I'm going to start a web design portfolio and thought I might be able to pick out what I think is a poorly designed site and make my own version using the pictures and information that's already there. Would that be illegal? I've never been paid to make a website for someone before so I thought it'd be a good idea. What have other people done for their web portfolios?

When thinking about this, it's generally a good idea to think about copyright law. If your portfolio is being built up in an educational institution, then you could argue that you have the educational right to re-design the web page. If you've left education then it could be trickier. I would consider dropping a quick line to the webmasters (generally there should be a link on a contact page) and tell them exactly what it's going to be used for, and ask their permission. They should tell you if it's ok or not. Hope this helps.

How often does the average company redesign their Website?
Would be great if you could site a major source with your answer.

Basically once you have the initial design you stick with it unless you find some problem with parts of the design and you correct it. I make updates once a month (1/2 hour@$35.00 USD). it is hard for the search engines to index your site if you are constantly changing it. Website designed in 2003 had same design until 2007 when pages in HTML were changed to aspx for better search engine visibility. The source of my answer is that I am System Administrator/Owner of http://www.silvermoonfurniture.com just do a domain name lookup to see who I am

Where can I find a volunteer to redesign my Non-Profits website?
I haven't yet filed for a 501c3 but I operate a online database consisting of housing options for homeless and/or low-income individuals and families. The site is already built I only need someone to upgrade the appearance. I'm no artist which is why I can't do it myself. How can I find someone to help me? Thank you Christopher

As you are not an official nonprofit, you cannot use resources like VolunteerMatch to recruit volunteers. So, you will have to rely on other means. You might be able to post to CraigsList (http://www.craigslist.com) to find someone to help you for free (not sure what their restrictions are regarding individuals looking for volunteers to help them). If you have friends that work at large organizations, whether government, corporate or nonprofit, you could ask them to ask their IT departments if there are any employees willing to donate time to help you.

Is there a website that lets you redesign your kitchen using your own photo?.?


YOU CAN upload your own picture on this site. Here is a site that you can pick from a list of room designs and modify the flooring and paint colors. Its really nice. Maybe you can find a room that looks similar to yours or you can upload your own picture. http://congoleum.chameleonpower.com/roomselect.cfm I just didn't realize you could do this when I first posted this link. If you look on the upper left side of the page you will see "use your own room in roomvision".