<div><p>Yesterday, I was in a meeting where this topic came up.&nbsp; It is one of the most common questions in marketing and it has a lot of answers. There are two ways of looking at it, aesthetically and technically.&nbsp; Technically is the easier of the two ways because you are dealing with factual data.&nbsp; Looking at your Google Analyltics and, if...</p></div><div><p>Yesterday, I was in a meeting where this topic came up.&nbsp; It is one of the most common questions in marketing and it has a lot of answers. There are two ways of looking at it, aesthetically and technically.&nbsp; Technically is the easier of the two ways because you are dealing with factual data.&nbsp; Looking at your Google Analyltics and, if you are taking good advice, your tracking phone number data, you can detect a drop off in site use and call volume.&nbsp; In other words, if people are just not responding to your site, either by spending&nbsp; less time there or clicking on fewer pages, then you have an indication that the design is not working any longer. If you are having difficulty getting your site optimized, it may also be a technical indication that a different design, format or navigation might be needed for greater productivity.&nbsp; Using statistics, you can usually determine low performing sites that are failing due to their design.Aesthetically, now that is much harder to determine because people have opinions about what looks good.&nbsp; My best advice here is to let a trained professional tell you if your look and feel is aesthetically appropriate and pleasing.&nbsp; Then, take their advice.&nbsp; No one likes to be told their baby is ugly and this principle is responsible for a lot of ugly and therefore under-performing web sites.&nbsp; Since there is no one-size-fits-all answer to design aesthetics, here are a few hallmarks of good design.&nbsp; If your site does not present these elements, you may want to have it evaluated for a redesign:1) Layout follows a design hierarchy.&nbsp; This creates flow and appropriate emphasis for the most vital elements while revealing the whole design.2) For cosmetic practices, use and attractive model who makes eye contact with the user.&nbsp; Eye contact holds the viewer through that first impression period when they decide in a second or two to stay or click away.3) Use few fonts and colors.&nbsp; Less is more in web design.&nbsp; If you use too much variation, you will lose&nbsp; any chance for a design&nbsp; hierarchy and your site will look like a bulletin board.&nbsp; Not good.4) Remove your ego and identity when evaluating. Your web site is not you.&nbsp; If changes are needed, let a professional with a proven record make the design for you.Let&rsquo;s face it, most people are not eager to redesign their web site but it is something that should be done every few years.&nbsp; If you are&nbsp; ready to discuss updating your site, please contact me at <a href="http://dogstarmedia.com/index.php?option=com_contactenhanced&amp;view=contact&amp;id=1&amp;content_title=ZDcyZmM4NWU5M2IzZWNjYmFiMTRmYTk3ODc2YzM1MTRUR0YwWlhOMElHSnNiMmNnWlc1MGNtbGxjdz09&amp;content_url=ZDcyZmM4NWU5M2IzZWNjYmFiMTRmYTk3ODc2YzM1MTRhSFIwY0RvdkwyUnZaM04wWVhKdFpXUnBZUzVqYjIwdllteHZaeTlzWVhSbGMzUXVhSFJ0YkQ5bWIzSnRZWFE5Wm1WbFpDWjBlWEJsUFhKemN3PT0=&amp;encodedrecipient=7fa72b6b5f412f526f71e480bb777c86&amp;tmpl=component&amp;" class="ce-modal mailto2ce" rel="{handler: 'iframe', size: {x:800, y:480}} nofollow">donald@dogstarmedia.com</a>.&nbsp; Every Dog Star&nbsp; Media web site is a custom design and we take your input into consideration when presenting you with custom options that meet important design criteria to be successful.</p></div><p><strong>Read more</strong>&nbsp;<a class="rssreadon" rel="external" title="How to Know if You Need a Web Redesign" href="http://dogstarmedia.com/blog/entry/how-to-know-if-you-need-a-web-redesign.html">http://dogstarmedia.com/blog/entry/how-to-know-if-you-need-a-web-redesign.html</a></p>
