When should you Redesign your Yahoo Store?

Posted on September 26th, 2012 by Brent Carey

When should you redesign your Yahoo store? It is a question all Yahoo store owners will be confronted with at some point. Change to any site shouldn’t be made just for the sake of change but in today’s market it is important to stay ahead of the competition. It may be that a redesign is what takes your store to that next level. Many marketing companies will tell you a redesign should be undertaken every one to three years just to keep things fresh.While this notion may be true in a generalized sense, each store is unique and the decision to overhaul the look and functionality of a site can’t be made in a vacuum. That said, chances are that if your Yahoo store is going to continue to be successful or if you want to take your sales beyond their current levels, you might need to consider revamping. Prior to beginning your research into whether a redesign is in your best interest, there are a few questions that may help in your initial decision making process:

Does your site accurately reflect the buying patterns of your key customer base?

Many Yahoo store owners open their store without intimate knowledge of who their target customer really is. They have a product or products they want to sell with little insight into the eventual buying behaviors of their customer base. Over time the store will attract a certain segment of customers which will have distinct buying patterns. At that point you’ll have to ask yourself if the site you started out with still effectively caters to the core crowd? Often times, a redesign may be needed to better position the content and/or functionality of the site with the 20% of your customers making up your main buying group.

Is your website conveying your product and branding message as well as it should be?

Over time you will get to know your products better than most. As you get a good feel for what your customers are like, the question needs to be asked, “Is my site accurately portraying the product and branding message I should be conveying?” It’s a legitimate question and one that far too many owners fail to ask themselves. The best stores have a consistent brand message which is in sync with the products being sold. Successful stores create a community, and have a clear message that directly relates to the product line. Are you doing this with your store? If not, it may be time to consider a new design.

Was SEO a consideration in your first site design?

Often stores are first created on a shoe-string budget or without considering best practices when it comes to optimizing the coding structure for search engines. Fast forward a couple of years and if your store is now making a little money, a redesign may increase the exposure it is currently receiving from the engines. Proper coding can go a long way toward improving a sites indexing potential. Rather than dumping money into Adwords, a redesign can greatly enhance SEO.

Does your site have a fresh and attractive look?

If your site has experienced a dip in traffic or if your store is doing ok but you feel the look is antiquated, it might be time to consider a redesign. Today’s well performing sites are unique in appearance, clean – and flow well using a clear navigational structure. The cream of the crop have a contemporary look and feel to match the products being offered. If your store looks old, out of date or simply doesn’t have the most attractive look, it might be time for a redesign.

If a redesign sounds like something you might be interested in, please fill out a quote request. Mention FALLREDESIGN in your inquiry to receive a 10% discount on your project total*. For a case study of a previous redesign Colorado Web Solutions did with very successful results, please see: coffeecakes.