I’m not an investment advisor or wealth manager, but I try to incorporate the same communication strategies for my own firm that I recommend to you. It’s one way to ensure that what sounds great in theory actually works in real life.

That’s why it was bothering me that, for my own website, I would have had to caution you until recently to do as I say, not as I do. No longer! The new and improved www.wendyjcook.com is open for business.

Let’s use my recent overhaul as an illustration on how you can go from so-so to so cool with your own site.

Step One: Where Are We At?

I knew it was time for a site makeover, but where to begin? First, I wrote down everything I liked about my old site, so I wouldn’t accidentally jettison the good with the bad. Here were some of its positive traits:

• Clean, uncluttered look and feel
• Easy for visitors to navigate and easy for me to maintain
• Large chunks of content worth retaining
• Affordable (I’d built it myself with DreamWeaver)
• Relatively good positioning on the search engines

That felt good. As bored as I’d grown with the old site, I was surprised to discover how much of it was actually … not so bad. Still, there was room for improvement. Plenty of room:

• Most importantly, it didn’t clearly and prominently explain what I do (writing, editing and presentation services) and for whom I do it (passive management, fee-only investment advisors).
• The design and logo were clunky and didn’t represent me or my company very well.
• The site and its platform did not integrate well nor enable me to remain current with all the great marketing and communication opportunities out there these days, such as RSS feeds, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and blogging.
• The back end lacked robust, current tools for easily improving on Search Engine Optimization.
• The site displayed inconsistently across the various browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.

Step Two: Where Do We Go From Here?

After itemizing the beauty and pock marks of my former site, I felt ready for a makeover. Better prepared, I made yet another list – a splendid wish list, subdivided into four main categories:

Design – Theme ideas, photo ideas and color preferences

Content – Thoughts on important talking points, specific pages and overall navigation among them

Build – Technical preferences or questions to address

Integration – Plans or questions on integrating search engine, e-blast and social media ideas

Similar to the way you help clients build an Investment Policy Statement, my wish list was like a “Site Policy Statement.” It made it easier to communicate exactly what I wanted with my site designer. It made it easier for him to help me create what I needed to get there. It made it easier for both of us to assess whether or not we were on target toward my goals. Hopefully, it makes it easier for you to enjoy my new site. Your feedback is most welcome in the comment field below or via the Contact page!