The internet is a constantly evolving entity that is difficult to keep up with. Inevitably this means that website upgrades become and essential part of any internet strategy and campaign. Upgrades usually involve new designs and usefull new features that we hope will entice customers more and achieve our internet goals. So what does this end up costing?
The financial investment into a website upgrade can vary depending on the company used, the relationship and contract that is in place with the company and the technology that is necessary for the upgrade. As the investment has so many variables I would like to focus on a more important cost that should be considered. The cost of upsetting or confusing your current client base on the internet.
Current client base
Your current client base consists of website users who find your website interesting or useful and who have become loyal to your website. You may have never met them but they exist. In fact, they may be promoting your website to friends and family through social networks and email without you even knowing. These people have become very valuable customers as they continue to promote your content throughout the web.
A small design change or system change may make your website less attractive to the user, making it more difficult to use. This in turn creates a negative user experience and very quickly you have lost this user to another website. Although they were loyal to your website, because you have no personal contact, it is very easy for that loyalty to disappear based on small, seemingly insignificant changes.
Handle upgrades with care
An upgrade to a website should be treated with care. Target markets should be established and the vision/strategy for the website should be clearly outlined. Research should be done into the types of users currently using your website, what they like and possibly even asking them for suggestions for upgrades to your website. If your website is already tapped into the social network streams it may be easier to gain access to this kind of information.
Looking after your stakeholders
Another very important market to consider would be the parties who have an invested stake in your website. Stakeholders should be consulted on what would make the website more valuable for them. Although this is potentially dangerous because they may start suggesting website changes that have no value, it is important to make sure that the shareholders see your website as a valuable resource to them.
Possibly your most important stakeholder will be those who have bought advertising on your website. Carefully consider how they will react to website changes. Even an upgrade with great new features can negitively impact your website if not communicated correctly to your advertisers.
I am reminded of a company who made big feature upgrades to their website but failed to get feedback from their advertisers before making the changes. The features opened up better opportunities to advertisiers but those advertising never saw the benefit because they could not move past the design flaws they found in the website. It seems that the advertisers were not too concerned with better functionality but rather wanted to be a part of a visually stimulating online environment. Visual stimulation was a very important aspect for the target market. The financial consequance was severe with a 83% drop in advertising spend on their website within a very short space of time.
Always tread carefully with upgrading your website. I would suggest researching the responses from clients, users and stakeholders before making any major usability, design and functionality changes. Who knows, you may even find that your clients would respond more favourably to a smaller financial investment on your part.
