The continuation of the Halloween franchise has audiences running in droves for what is being marketed as the final chapter in this timeless series. Michael Myers knows what he wants and takes calculated steps in order to achieve his goal of reaching his target. This is one of the many reasons why he resonates terror and spans generations of fans.
People love a comeback and nothing says comeback like a revival. In your case, it could be unearthing your old website that has been begging to be seen by a new audience. While this can seem just as intimidating as Michael waiting for you in your closet, it’s not. Just like Michael, your website has the ability to be refreshed and updated with a new theme, plugins, or even exploring a new target audience.
We’re going to share the top four ways Michael Myers has shown us that reviving an old website can turn a scream into a smile.
1.) Focus on actions, not just words
You don’t need a million dollar concept to improve your website, but you do have to start somewhere. You could be sitting on an idea that may change the world, but ends up a coulda, shoulda, woulda idea because you hesitated instead of taking action.
You have to set goals, give yourself a deadline, and make a daily schedule for success. You can avoid being overwhelmed by giving yourself small actionable goals that can be accomplished in a realistic timeline. The internet is filled with free resources like Trello and Kapost that can help you build an online content calendar to help you stay organized.
Here are some tips that can help you extract the weeds in your creative garden:
Audit your old content and repurpose successful pieces
Test new themes for a potential site redesign
Create a content or social media calendar to keep the momentum going
Did Michael Myers successfully make his way back to theaters time and time again by killing every character in sight? Of course not. He did it skillfully and tactically to always leave his audiences cringing for more. Every small accomplishment brings you one step closer than you were before.
2.) Know your audience.
How close is too close? Or perhaps close isn’t close enough. In Halloween, we know the bond Michael has with Laurie (his sister) is what fuels his unwavering pursuit of her over the film franchise. You could apply this same focus in familiarizing yourself with your target audience.
When you are working with an old website, you have to be aware of who your original audience was and what updates you are incorporating to your site for a new audience. Even the smallest tweaks can change the user experience (UX) for your audience.
Let’s say your old website was centered on football and now you want it to reflect your passion for golf. While there could be some cross-interest because golf and football are both sports, their respective audiences are very different. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to speak to every golf fan on the planet, set your sights on learning meticulous factors that will help build your understanding of that specific reader.
Here are some factors to consider when determining your target audience:
Demographics
Location
Income
Personality
Lifestyles
These are a few options you can keep in mind for any future adjustments you plan to make for your website. Michael Myers had such a relentless focus on Laurie that he was able to be six steps ahead of her so he always had the home court advantage. This confidence never served him wrong in the series and it can do the same for your website as long as you understand who your target audience is and what they want.
3.) Keep it simple.
You don’t always need bells and whistles to make your website pop. Does Michael Myers walk around with a bazooka or a machine gun? No. He has been using the same knife since 1978 to kill his victims off one by one, and that formula hasn’t changed. Simplicity can be just as effective for your prospective audience. When you are revamping your site, people have the misconception that “simple,” translates to “boring”. Simple is a good place to start so you don’t overwhelm your site with features you don’t need. Even if your site is just a few years old, there are several factors to consider before adding new content or rebranding.
With the majority of Americans being smartphone users, websites have to be adaptable to meet the needs of a consumer on-the-go. Mobile responsiveness can be very instrumental to the success of your site because users can access your content from mobile devices, iPads, etc. Updating your current design with a responsive WordPress theme can help increase your visibility since “responsive themes,” are created to adjust to different screen sizes.
If you want to provide a seamless UX for your users, you want to ensure they don’t experience any interruptions when accessing your site. Accessibility is measured by several features that could be potentially alienating or limiting your audience. When you think of accessibility, ask yourself if the current design, color scheme, font, or tab indexing can impact how a user is experiencing the features of your site.
Not sure if your site is accessible? Check out this great accessibility test to help you improve your site experience.
Simplicity doesn’t just extend to how a user experiences your site, it also is reflected in your design. A complex or busy design could scare away users before they even get a chance to read your content or shop your products.
Your audience may not be the same as it was a few years ago when you built your website so changing the theme could attract new visitors to your site. If the thought of a new design has you biting your nails, then you can use the WordPress theme customization features to alter different aspects of your current theme so you can make adjustments that still update your design.
The customization features can incorporate new colors, a header, images, or you can design your own theme to upload on your site. After you switch up your site’s design, you can move on to reviewing your content and updating relevant information on your key pages.
4.) Be in the right place at the right time.
Timing is imperative in today’s culture. Everything from breaking news, culture, and trends are here today and gone tomorrow. Being timely can be the difference between your site being successful or remaining in web limbo. Michael Myers perfected the ability to surprise and eliminate his victims by expert timing that never disappoints. You have to be meticulous in combing through your sites content to make sure all the text, media, and pages have been updated so that your audience can reach you for the information they need.
One of the most overlooked aspects of a site is updating the “About” page to reflect any changes in your contact information, history, and mission. While this may not be as exciting as creating new content or changing your design, it is imperative so visitors have a firm understanding of who you are, what your site is about, and what product or service you are selling.
When reviewing key information, here are some elements on the page that may need an update:
Contact info
Social media handles
Team
Personality
You never want your visitors getting confused about your site because you didn’t take the time to review your key pages. As you are refreshing other pages of your site you can double check that everything is cohesive and aligned with your goals listed on your About page.
If Michael Myers is still alive and well in 2018, your website has the same capabilities. Zeroing in on your goals, taking action, and keeping your target audience in mind during a website refresh is important. Be meticulous in reviewing your site and developing a list of what needs to be updated. You can even incorporate the latest WordPress plugins, themes, and updates to your site as a final touch.
Have you recently updated an old website? What features did you change? Tell us how you brought your site back to life in the comments below!
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