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I came across an easy check list you might use to determine whether it’s time (or past time!) to freshen up your consignment, resale or thrift shop’s web site.
My comments, in italics, are added for clarification. I apologize for not being able to give the original author credit for this list.*
TOP 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF IF A REDESIGN IS NEEDED:
Why do visitors currently come to my website? (You can tell this with your statistics. Make sure that the info they seek is super-easy and quick to find.)
Is my website easy to navigate and is it easy to find information? Is it equally as easy on a phone as on a desktop PC?
Are my current visitors being converted into sales? Have you got a mechanism in place to determine this, e.g. a word of the month that will get them a small gift in-shop?
Are competitors’ websites more functional and have they recently been redesigned? Remember, just ’cause they’ve changed their design DOES NOT mean you have to change yours. I’ve seen some really badly-redesigned shop sites.
Does the content on my website deliver the right message? The wrong message would be, for example, lots of negative messages, poor grammar and spelling, typos, generic photos.
Is my website a good representation of my business? Does it have the look and feel that best signifies the branding and tenor of your business?
Does my current website instill trust and confidence in my business? How do you do that? Photos and bios of staffers. Longevity of shop. Customer testimonials. A personalized, friendly blog that’s updated regularly, even if you can only manage this a few times a month.
Am I easily able to update my website? If you can’t, this is a MUST. Never rely on someone else to switch out special event notices, seasonal photos of your exterior, etc.
Are visitors who come to my website being tracked and analyzed? This job is the least rewarding in my opinion, and can be delegated to a friend, relative, or staffer who will present and interpret these findings to you.
Does my existing website make it easy for visitors to contact me? And, I might add, for B&M businesses, how quickly can the visitor determine where you actually ARE?
* (This list is used on a dozen or more web sites, mostly those companies who want to sell you their services. None of these companies give credit to the originator, so alas, I can’t either. I’d suggest you avoid companies who cut and paste others’ work. Just sayin’.)
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 