There are various causes authorities contractors will need to, or must, refresh their web sites. A smaller firm that now has sturdy buyer expertise and success to share. New government management that’s redefining the corporate imaginative and prescient or technique. Important services or products suite growth. A reconfigured group following a merger or acquisition.
Regardless of the cause, a refreshed web site is a robust option to reintroduce your organization to your neighborhood. It’s additionally a dangerous transfer. A refreshed web site, when poorly executed, can harm your model and status somewhat than elevate it.
Listed here are three errors to keep away from when refreshing your GovCon web site.
1. Begin With Design
We get it. We LOVE a gorgeous web site! And it’s enjoyable to work with internet designers who magically create a digital house that’s fashionable or edgy. Darkish themes, for instance, are in. Nevertheless, beginning with design means probably lacking the mark together with your authorities viewers—particularly in the event you’re working with an online designer who doesn’t have GovCon expertise.
In 2022, USA Information reported that the common age of a federal worker was 47 years outdated, with extra full-time everlasting federal workers within the 50 – 54-year-old class than every other 5-year age group. Almost 29% of federal workers have been 55 or older.
Age issues as a result of imaginative and prescient begins to say no in a single’s mid- to -late 40s, particularly when studying or working at a pc. So, your web site should be simple to see, learn, and navigate. Although darkish themes are well-liked, an excessive amount of reversed-out kind places a pressure on the eyes and ought to be averted for GovCon web sites.
Guarantee your web site is accessible to all customers. Comply with Internet Content material Accessibility Pointers (WCAG) and take a look at your design for usability throughout totally different units and browsers.
2. Put Your self First
An internet site is the digital headquarters of your agency. It’s the place to inform everybody about you once you’re not within the room. Your organization, leaders, clients, services, trade awards, information, and extra. However, to responsibly share that important and compelling info together with your internet guests, you’ll must put your self of their footwear, first.
Who’re you most making an attempt to succeed in? Who’re your secondary audiences? What would you like them to do once they get to your website?
Potential clients, potential workers, and reporters will all have totally different pursuits once they land in your homepage. So, it’s necessary to make it simple for all focused guests to shortly and simply discover what they want and wish. Undertake a “one click on” rule, so your anticipated guests can click on as soon as to get to your contract automobiles or providers choices (potential clients), profession web page with job openings (potential workers), and newsroom (media).
Earlier than refreshing your website, map the “pathways” for every audience, beginning together with your homepage.
3. Skimp on Content material Technique
When you get the inexperienced mild to refresh your web site, your present website will look and sound more and more dreary. The crew will likely be wanting to expertise the brand new website as shortly as potential. And it’s simpler to repurpose present content material to get to the brand new website sooner.
Resist. A wonderful, easy-to-navigate web site won’t be sufficient to beat uninspired or complicated content material.
As an alternative, return to why you’re doing the refresh now. What’s new? Take the time you have to nail down your key messages, tone, and elegance of the refreshed content material. Create a content material define with a mixture of participating, informative headlines and Search engine optimization-friendly textual content that aligns together with your goals and viewers wants. Use this chance to craft and inform your story.
Outline what you need your web site to realize. Having clear objectives helps information your content material creation course of.
Your web site refresh is value doing properly. Somewhat planning earlier than diving into the web site design and content material will assist guarantee your web site will likely be well-structured, user-friendly, and efficient in assembly your corporation objectives and viewers wants. And a fantastically executed web site refresh can reengage and reenergize your crew and others in your organization neighborhood, serving to the corporate thrive within the extremely aggressive federal market.