It is time to refresh your website? In a guest post on Problogger, the author Joseph of Blog Tweaks talks about the need to reset your blog if you aren’t getting the traffic and response you hoped for. His comments are equally valid for any website. He suggests cleaning up the clutter:

  • If there are any tags or widgets that are creating clutter and adding no value, get rid of them.
  • The goal is to have a clean, uncluttered site that doesn’t distract from the steps that you want people to take.
This issue of clutter is a constant battle. We have faced it several times at Roundpeg. We start with a clean fresh design, and then we start adding things to the sidebar.  Then we add something else, and something else.  Suddenly our visitors are faced with so many choices, they don’t know where to focus, so they often end up missing the most important content or call to action.
We are currently working on a redesign of the roundpeg website, with a goal of launching the end of July.  We are ruthlessly eliminating content which  is rarely viewed.  We are getting rid of widgets that seemed cool at the time, but now simply add clutter.
Sometimes it is hard to let go of something, like the “tag cloud” because it looked cool.  But the truth is, by now people know what the Roundpeg blog is about, and we really don’t need it.
As you look at your website and think about your next web redesign, what will you remove?
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Roundpeg, an Indianapolis web design firm can help you think through some of the challenges and options.