Don’t Let Another Corporate Website Relaunch Miss the Mark

We’ve seen all those outcomes and more over the years, but we’ve also played a part in enough triumphs to know it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are five success factors to ensure your relaunch hits the mark

1. Expect to have the “What is the website for?” conversation. Nothing inspires your colleagues’ inner corporate existentialist more than a website project. If you prepare for these conversations with data and arguments based on stakeholder needs, you will start on the front foot.

2. Determine the real extent of your issues and scope the project accordingly. A full-scale overhaul may be in order, but if you can, it’s best to think in terms of “evolution”, and this mindset will help after launch. A relaunch should give way to small continuous improvements over time.

3. How you think about the website is critical. You need a robust framework for how to think about the entire digital estate; one that is easily communicated to colleagues, and proves that you know what you are talking about. Our Corporate Digital Communications Index methodology takes this several steps further, with eight main categories, 26 sub-metrics and two decades of experience behind it.

4. Keep control in house. If you are in the fortunate position of being able to resource and run the project completely internally, then great. Most companies will need and even want a partner agency who brings creativity and experience. Remember though, that they do not necessarily understand your company, your sector, your culture and your stakeholders. Corporate websites are uniquely complex, and experience delivering such projects is far less commonplace. You have to plan to bridge the gap.

5. Always return to audience needs. Speak from the audience perspective, always. Understand their needs, goals and behaviours, and how the corporate digital experience will help or hinder what they want to achieve; then design accordingly.

Does this resonate with you?

Our clients ensure their relaunch projects stay on track by using benchmarking, visitor research and consultancy. Get in touch to discuss how we can help you hit the target.