Here are 10 ways to know it is time to redesign your website.

1. What Do You Do?

We look at our own websites with an understanding of our businesses and many times we assume we are clear about our services and products. If you have heard visitors to your web site comment on “what your business does” or “why your company is better than the competition” it might be time to get some more feedback and redesign your site.

2. Directions…Lost Information…Where Do I buy?

People visit web sites for a variety of reasons. One reason above most is information. Are your products and services lost on your web site? Can people interested in working with you find what they came for? Such as phone numbers, directions, store policy or just simply how to add the products you offer to their shopping cart?

3. The Virtual Isles Are Cluttered…I Can’t Find What I Am Looking For!

Are your pages getting too cluttered? Can people find and see what you offer? This point can be a major issue with ecommerce websites. Too much information might make it difficult for shoppers to find what they are interested in. Learn to categorize items into major and minor categories to help shoppers get started. (more…)

How often have you set a goal and not achieved it? This is a common occurrence with business and personal goals. Even though we go through the process of setting goals, goals go unachieved or under achieved. I’ve been studying how successful people achieve what they want whether it’s business or personal and I’ve discovered there is a “success principle” that dramatically increases the likeliness of achieving goals-personal or professional. I originally discovered a similar concept when I was developing my seven step system, Goal Setting for Success to help people have greater success achieving their business goals. I refer to this in step three of my system as “Make it known”. What I discovered in coaching people is that by telling someone your goal you hold yourself more accountable, and you are more likely to do what you said you would do. The “Accountability Partner” concept takes “Make it Known” to a higher level of accountability. In addition to making your goal known, you actually make a commitment to another person (partner) that you will hold each other accountable for deadlines, making progress on your goal and ultimately achieving your goal.

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Now that you have taken the plunge and are starting your own business, you are probably working non stop to tackle all of those start-up activities. In the process, you will reach a point, if you haven’t already, where you find yourself overwhelmed by all the decisions that you think need to be made immediately and all of the tasks that you perceive should have been done yesterday. If you are like many new business owners, especially those who tend to be over achievers, you may find yourself jumping from one open issue to another leaving a trail of unfinished business in your wake.

Before you get in too deep and start losing too much sleep, take a step back ….get some exercise, splurge on a double latte….do whatever it takes to get your perspective back so that you can best assess how you are managing your time. Regardless of whether you are a sole proprietor or have partners, there will still be much more to do, especially in these early days, than there are hours in the day or week. That being said, this doesn’t mean that all of the tasks won’t get done…they just might not be completed as quickly as you may like. Hence, the importance of temporarily putting aside the latest draft of your business plan to consider the following time management tips. (more…)