Ready, Set, Redesign

October 8, 2024

As we approach the end of the year, it is easy to put off some goals for January, just as we often do in our personal lives by creating new year’s resolutions. However, now is the perfect time for utilities to plan for 2025. Considerations like strategic goals, initiatives and budget are discussed each fall in preparation for the next year.

Just like we are trying to create the best versions of ourselves with resolutions, utilities setting strategic goals lays the path for improvement. Maybe your website is on your improvement wish list, but you don’t know where to start. With any resolution or strategic goal, you need a plan.

Yampa Valley Electric Association in Colorado makes efforts to visualize content for new members with a page to welcome members and educate them on their organizational structure, cooperative principles and Operation Round Up with pages that break copy digestible sections with small bites that encourage their new member to read on without feeling overwhelmed by dense areas of words on a single page.

Inventory Your Current Site

Your website is the virtual office for your utility. The homepage is your lobby, and the main navigation represents your various departments. Often, utilities spend more on landscaping than the website. As your virtual office, the site needs to be properly maintained and prioritized – just like your physical office.

The information and content on your website are like your landscaping, as well as your front-line employees assisting your members, customers and subscribers. Here are questions to ask as you review your site:

Is this information correct and up to date?
Are the pictures and videos representative of our brand?
Is the website easy to navigate?
Is the website accessible to all site visitors?
What are my most visited pages?
Is the site visitor getting the information they are looking for?

Define Your Goals

Ultimately, the answers to the questions you ask during the inventory phase will help you set your goals. The key is to identify the main goal for your site, whether it be improve the experience for your site visitor, drive engagement, upgrade the look and feel to match your brand, or other specific goal.

Weigh Your Options

After inventorying your site and setting clear, obtainable goals, you are ready to weigh your options: adjust your current site or invest in a redesign project.

Electing a complete redesign compared to adjusting on your current site may sound daunting. But at Powerful, we are here to help you through every step of the way. Our process is built on research, and we developed top-tier website best practices when it comes to design, site visitor experience, accessibility, content, and webforms. From the first time you reach out to learn more, our client solutions team hits the ground running digging into your current site in preparation for a personalized experience in the initial discovery call.

After signing an agreement, one of our project managers will guide you through the process, including kickoff, design and content strategy, layout review, development, reveal, and training. Once your new site goes live, we continue to be your go to support specialist to ensure the continued success of your site. As your partner, we will walk beside you to make your redesign successful.

From discovery, through planning and development, to go live and beyond – we are your trusted web partner. Our team of trusted web experts are here to help you reach all your website goals, and on your timeline. We know there are numerous vendor options available when considering a redesign. That’s why we offer a competitive price match guarantee on competitor quotes. The Powerful team is committed to going above and beyond to exceed our clients’ expectations.

Now that you have your plan, let’s get ready to redesign!