4 Things To Consider During A Website Redesign

Website Redesign Image

Taking on the project of a website redesign is not an easy task, no matter the size of an institution. The project consumes numerous hours of work while writing, designing, and finding the right partner to develop/host. These factors can make the redesign process a daunting task, but one that’s worth every penny. Let’s explore what to consider while navigating through your website redesign process.

Look at non-banking sites.

Sometimes our first instinct when redesigning is to quickly go to our top competitor’s site and look to them for direction. I have found myself guilty of this, but I’m here to tell you, there are more cons than pros to this. Most websites in retail banking are lagging behind other industries by at least five years. The experience is often clunky, and the design is typically dated (Streeter, 2018). By just looking at competitor’s sites, it can create an environment where you’re just trying to “beat” them. This will not have an end result of a website that’s built for the modern consumer. Look to retail sites like Nike; challenge yourself to think outside of the box and generate ideas from them.

Nike.com

Keep it simple. 

Simplicity is key not just because it’s the latest design trend, but because it’s timeless. One of the biggest problems with websites is that they become outdated quickly. It seems like, as soon as you’re about to finish with one update, it’s time for another. Busy designs lose their allure and become dated-looking; simple design does not.

Simple Website Design

Simple pages on sites are also easier to read for users. To maximize the number of people who see the most important parts of your content, it’s vital to strip down your design to the bare essentials. By removing unnecessary elements, you can draw the reader’s attention to what matters most (Patel, 2021).

Search engine optimization (SEO) 

Search engine optimization is a tactic we all know we should be doing, but don’t invest enough time and resources to carry out the method that should never end. The redesign process of a website presents the perfect opportunity to start an SEO strategy at your credit union. As stated by the CEO of Extractabe, a digital strategy company, creating a digital experience without utilizing SEO is akin to throwing a party no one will attend. Your site may be beautiful, but who will see it if it doesn’t rank well in search engine results? (Streeter, 2018). Thankfully, there are many free tools that can take some of the pressure off of writing optimized content. Utilize sites like Google Trends to learn what people in your target market are searching for information about. Writing about trending topics can help drive traffic to your site. As we see below from my inquiry about savings accounts, crypto and reward savings are trending searches.

Google Trends Snapshot

Don’t be afraid to make more of an investment.

When thinking of a website, it should be viewed as the digital branch that most, if not all of your members, will utilize. Consider the cost of $2.5 – $5 million to build a physical branch location that only a certain percentage of members will use, and will also cost thousands to keep in operation year after year. Even though we realize this, the average amount a financial brand will invest to build a new website, according to our year-over-year studies, is only $32,714. There’s not any correlation with website investment and asset size: many larger asset institutions are also underfunding their website investments because their websites are still being viewed internally as just an information source (i.e., glorified online brochure), not a driver of growth (Lay, 2020). The classic saying “You get what you put into it.” can be noted here. Holding potential back potential funding can make this strenuous process potentially worthless. Invest in your credit union’s digital footprint. 

 

Website Stastic

Source: The Financial Brand

 

A redesign that’s done with merit can present an extremely bright light at the end of the tunnel. A refreshed website that’s built, written, and designed to perform digitally will give you incredible opportunities to market better through digital channels. I again challenge all of you to think about the topics above while going through your redesign. We all want bragging rights of who has the best website, right? 

 

References:

Bill Streeter, E. I. (2018, September 08). Design Ideas Banking Execs Can Use to Amp Up Their Websites Now. Retrieved September 7, 2021, from https://thefinancialbrand.com/77285/website-mobile-design-ideas-banking-credit-union/
Lay, J. R. (2020). Banking On Digital Growth. Retrieved September 7, 2021, from https://www.digitalgrowth.com/banking-on-digital-growth-book
Patel, N. (2021, August 28). 17 Reasons Why Your Website Should Have a Clean and Simple Design. Retrieved September 7, 2021, from https://neilpatel.com/blog/website-clean-simple-design/

Is it time for a new website at your Credit Union?

Look at it from a consumer’s standpoint. How would you rate the user experience?

First off, I promise this is not another blog post that’s going to talk about how now, more than ever, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s crucial that your institution’s website performs digitally. Although a very valid point, we’ll save that for another blog post. In this post, I want to challenge you to put yourself in a consumer’s shoes while they navigate the credit union’s digital branch. Let’s explore what could be a pain point during their visit. 

Unadaptive on mobile

Mobile. Another buzzword, but something that we simply can’t ignore. On some devices, we have just three inches diagonally to impress users during their visit. How we use that space can either be an attractor or detractor to existing and potential members. Speaking to that point – when consumers visit your site on mobile, what do they see? Do they see an adaptive site where all charts, images, and text are adjusted to their screen, or do they see a generic condensed version of the site that feels like the content was cut and forced to fit on the screen?

Above is a prime example of content being shed and leaving bare bones for the website user. If we visited a clothing store’s site, and there are no pictures of the jeans we’re interested in, are we going to buy them? No, because there’s nothing for us to connect with and sell us. Although we offer services and not products, this is a mental note we need to take. 

Lacks true digital loan/account opening

Let’s say we’re scrolling through Facebook after hours and see an enticing ad for a credit card from “Your Town CU.” We click on the advertisement to learn more information and decide to apply; however, we can’t because that’s not an option, and if it is, it’s a form with many fields presented in an unattractive way. Now, we have the choice to wait for a branch to open or apply for the Apple Card we just saw on TV, where it takes less than two minutes to apply and has automatic decision making so we can start spending instantly. 

This potential wait time created leaves an opportunity for a lead to choose another option for financing or membership that can be opened digitally. Let’s ask ourselves, wouldn’t we be turned off by a form that has 1,000 fields where we had to wait 1-2 business days to hear back with today’s technology? Why are we making consumers do it?

Consumer visits are not personalized.

As we all know, cookies are not just the delicious treat grandma makes perfectly anymore. They are treats that leave “crumbs” on pages that consumers have previously viewed, allowing us to deliver better-targeted advertisements. Let’s take a look at our Amazon account’s homepage for a second. Isn’t it nice having products recommended to us that we would actually want, need, and use? Yes, it’s great. Sometimes too great and we spend more money than we should. 

Now let’s think back to our credit union’s site – why are we serving the same mortgage ad to someone who already has a mortgage with us but has the need for a home equity loan, which they previously search on the site. We sometimes make it harder for consumers to convert, even though we have all the information we need to tell what they’re in the market for. 

Site search isn’t performing.

How many times a day do we hear “I don’t know, Google it.” Today’s consumer gravitates to a search bar when they are lost on a site. In some content management systems or on sites that aren’t keyword-optimized, the search bar doesn’t produce favorable results. This leaves the consumer either thinking you don’t offer the product/service they are searching for or frustrates them even more as they search the website page by page till they find what they are looking for. This frustration can cause the visitor to leave, and conduct a Google search, which will lead them to another financial. If you were to conduct a search on your credit union’s website, would it deliver? 

It’s a digital brochure.

When consumers visit your site, you want them to have the same reaction as they do to a firework, “Oooh Ahhh.” The presentation of content should be more dynamic than it is on the brochures in your brick and mortars. Websites give us a digital space where the sky is the limit, and with the right team developing team, anything is possible. Now, I’m not saying we need to be as dynamic as Apple, which has every piece of content move with you as you scroll. Kudos to you if you do, but that’s not realistically feasible for most institutions. I challenge you to rather than having five bullet points explaining the process of how to apply for a mortgage, embed a video of a mortgage officer walking through the steps. Rather than having a testimonial section of static text, have a live interview recording with the member on the site. Finally, rather than having just pictures on product pages include GIFs or other moving parts to give the page more life. Wouldn’t you agree this is a more attractive way of presenting your content? 

Well, if you made it this far, you read my whole first blog post! Thank you, I appreciate it! Credit Union websites have become something that I’m extremely passionate about, and I jump on every chance I get to innovate, optimize, and design them. I hope this post gave you some insight and made you think of a site from a consumer’s point of view. If you ever need someone to bounce an idea off of, I’m here to help! Watch for my next blog post on Tuesday, September 7.