6 Steps to a Successful Web Site Redesign — How PBS Did It

As a company best known for its videos and call-in television programs, PBS decided it needed to upgrade its Web site if it had visions of success in a future dominated by multichannel organizations. The nonprofit network did have an e-commerce site, but it wasn’t very effective. It was out-of-date, text-heavy and hard to navigate. A redesign was in order.

In a session at last week’s Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Chicago, Andrea Downing, PBS’s vice president of home entertainment and partnerships, disclosed the company’s six-step process to its successful Web site redesign.

1. Take the time to plan. Noting that it took PBS nearly 18 months to complete its redesign, Downing advised attendees to define their goals and visions for the future. For PBS, Downing noted, that included improved navigation and search functionality on its site, enhancing the look and the feel of the site, and incorporating an “editorial” voice. It’s also necessary to examine your customers’ behavior, both online and offline. PBS employed a survey to help it accomplish this, Downing said.

2. Get to know your customers. Allow your customers to be part of the redesign through customer feedback, Downing said. Techniques to gathering information on your customers include:

* reading customer reviews about your brand and products;

* talking to the customer service reps in your call center;

* looking at your site search to see what people are looking for;

* communicating with your customers on a one-to-one basis through e-mail; and

* implementing Web analytics to identify customer browsing patterns.

3. Keep your eye on the competition. For PBS, this comprises Amazon, Discovery Channel, Acorn Media Group, National Geographic Society, and Barnes & Noble, among others. Go shopping on your competitors’ sites, and take notes, Downing advised. While not copying, make note of what functionalities your competitors’ sites offer so you have an idea what customers expect from an e-commerce site.

4. Let your customers experience the product. “The products are really what your site is all about,” Downing said. “They give you your competitive advantage.” Stressing the value of the product page and mini cart, Downing noted that PBS has spent considerable time and resources on this area.

5. Implement new technologies strategically. Ask yourself the following questions, Downing said:

* How do I measure the effect of each tool on our site, in relation to key performance indicators?

* Are the tools your competitors use enhancing the customer experience?

* Are our target customers expecting these tools and technologies, or will they just confuse or slow down the shopping experience?

In its redesign, PBS added several functionalities, including parametric navigation, searchable programs by alphabet, double top navigation bar, catalog quick order, mini cart, express shop and video preview. Still to date, though, the company’s catalog generates a higher average order value, Downing acknowledged, in part because it’s “more browseable.”

6. Invest in taxonomy and meta data. “These are the building blocks for your site,” Downing said. Taxonomy is the process of organizing products and content on your site into recognizable categories. PBS did three years of site traffic analysis to prepare the taxonomy of the redesigned site, she said. One of the best new features of the redesign, in Downing’s estimation, has been the implementation of parametric navigation. This allows visitors to the site to sort products by attribution, such as price, format (DVD, CD, VHS) and content topic (Civil War, Impressionist painters). This is especially important, Downing said, because 50 percent of PBS’s revenue comes from history and art.