Your website is the face of your business, so its design should always reflect your brand in the best light possible for your current and potential customers. Like the rest of the online world, your website should also evolve to stay current and captivating – after all, you want customers to keep coming back!

In today’s day and age, it’s more important than ever for businesses to have a strong online presence. Your website is often the first interaction that potential customers will have with your company, so it’s important to ensure that it’s designed in a way that is user-friendly and visually appealing. However, even the best websites must be regularly updated to reflect changes in the digital world and stay ahead of the competition. By implementing new technologies into your design, you can stay ahead of the curve and attract more consumers.

It’s important to know when it’s time for a website redesign to avoid an outdated, poorly designed, and ineffective website. Continue reading to learn more about the website redesign benefits, and follow our 11 steps to a successful revamp.

What is a Website Redesign?

Let’s cut to the chase – a web redesign is basically just when a company freshens up its existing website to make it more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing for potential customers. This process usually involves improving the website’s functionality and look and ensuring it works well on all devices, browsers, and operating systems. The goal of a redesign is usually to increase conversion rates and optimize speed and performance.

It’s typically recommended to give your website a facelift every 3 to 5 years to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies. A full redesign from scratch can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days, depending on the size and complexity of the project. Although a complex redesign can be time-consuming and require a lot of resources, it’s worth it to do it regularly to keep your customers happy, automate sales, and retain clients.

Look at some of the most drastic and successful website re-design, for example, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit. You can see how important it is to put a lot of thought into your changes to make a real impact that will be visually appealing and user-friendly.

Steps For Website Redesign

How do you know when it’s time for a revamping of a website or now it’s time to hire an agency for website redesign services? Well, usually, when your conversion rates have been steadily declining or if your current website design is starting to look outdated compared to your competitors. If you’re thinking about cutting corners and skipping steps, we advise against it! It’s important to invest enough time and resources upfront so that you don’t run into any problems further down the line that could have easily been avoided. This way, you can increase conversion rates and improve ROI.

It’s important to start with proper planning and research before embarking on a web redesign. Our 11-step website redesign roadmap will help you transform your website into a conversion-optimized business tool:

Make an Audit of Your Website

If you’re starting the process of redesigning your website, the first and most crucial step is to create a plan. The level of detail and organization you put into this phase will play a significant role in how successful your redesign will be. 

You’ll want to start with an in-depth audit of your current website. You can divide this process into the following steps:

• Evaluate a Website’s Page Performance

Before you can begin to improve your website’s performance, you need to take a step back and evaluate what you currently have. Creating a sitemap of your website will help you see which pages are used the most and help identify user trends. Key metrics such as conversions, bounce rates, and traffic can give you insight into which pages are most popular and useful and which ones may be missing or unnecessary. Identifying these areas will help you focus your efforts on making improvements where they will be most impactful.

If you completed doing metrics, you’ll know which pages you need to revise and update. 

• Make an SEO Audit

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the practice of improving your website to rank higher in search engine results. This is done by analyzing numerous factors that contribute to your ranking, such as page load speed and missing keywords, and then fixing the issues that negatively impact your performance. An SEO audit is essential for anyone who wants to improve their organic search rankings.

SEO audit can help you in – To ensure that your website is crawled and indexed correctly by Google, you need to:

• optimize your content with keywords;
• identify on-page SEO errors;
• detect off-page SEO errors;
• ensure your website provides a good user experience;
• eliminate duplicate pages on your website.

 Platforms such as Google Search Console and Semrush are effective tools for analyzing your website.

• Assess The Website’s Copy

Take a look at your website’s copy and ask: Is it useful? Does it help potential customers solve their problems? If you answered no to either of those questions, then it sounds like there’s some work to be done. The content needs to be rewritten, focusing no longer on self-promotion but on solving users’ problems instead. When you’re revising your copy, make sure to keep all stages of the customer journey in mind. It’ll give you a better idea of what potential customers want and expect when they visit your site.

Detailed Research To Check User Journey

At this stage in the game, it would be beneficial to create a user journey map of the typical customer’s path through your website leading up to a purchase. This will help you better understand what actions and emotions customers experience while using your site, which will, in turn, give you a glimpse into what they are looking for, what type of information they need, how they interact with your website, and which pages they visit while searching for said information. It’s important to identify any gaps in the user journey as they are brought to your attention so that you can work on patching them up in the future!

If you want to make your website more interactive and user-friendly, conducting customer surveys is a great way. Talk to your customers and ask them about their experience with your site. You can ask questions like:

• What did you like about the website?
• Why did you buy our product?
• What would you change about the website?
• How easy was it to find what you were looking for on the website?

User testing is an effective way to learn how users interact with your site and where they encounter friction. This method involves asking your potential customers to complete various tasks on your website. For this purpose, you can use services like Userlytics, UserTesting, and Hotjar. They will help you find out where users end their journey, which pages they open most frequently, and if there are any bugs. 

User testing is an effective way to learn firsthand how users interact with your site, what they think of it, and any areas where they may encounter friction. This method involves asking your potential customers to complete various tasks on your website. You can use services like Userlytics, UserTesting, and Hotjar to help you find out where users end their journey, which pages they open most frequently, and if there are any bugs. Using user testing, you can improve the user experience on your website and increase the chances of conversion.

User testing is an excellent way to see how users interact with your site, what obstacles they encounter, and where they tend to drop off. User testing involves asking your potential customers to complete various tasks on your website. You can use services like Userlytics, UserTesting, and Hotjar to help you identify which pages users visit most frequently, where they abandon their journey, and if there are any bugs.

Set Your Goals And Target Audience

At this stage, it’s important to set realistic and achievable goals. Revamping a website costs money and time, so the process must bring results. To do this, take your findings from the website audit and identify which areas need improvement. Based on that, develop a strategy with measurable and attainable goals for your website. For example, increase the conversion rate by 2% in 10 months. Involve the whole team in brainstorming and setting these goals.

Create a Website Redesign Strategy

To improve your website’s performance, you need to set clear goals and develop a strategy that includes the following elements:

Updated Sitemap – A sitemap is a great tool to help you understand the hierarchy of your website at a glance and rearrange pages as needed. After auditing your website, note which pages are getting the most traffic, which are less popular, and which pages could be deleted altogether. You can also use this opportunity to add new pages missing from your website.

Ideal User Flow –  User flow is essential to good web design. By showing your consumers the steps they need to take to make a purchase, you make their path more accessible and enjoyable. This way, you’ll get more quality leads that will likely convert into customers.

Keyword Research – Use tools like Semrush and Keyword planner to save time and understand what terms your visitors are searching for so you can use them in your website content. This will give you a better idea of what your target audience is looking for so you can provide them with the information they need.

Messaging Strategy – First and foremost, you need to identify the message you want to communicate and ensure that every page on your website reflects this message to your visitors. You want to let them know how you can help them and what you’re all about – so take a look at your website and see if it’s doing that effectively. If not, it might be time to invest in some website improvements to make sure your visitors are getting a clear understanding of what you can do for them.

Set a Realistic Timeline

Creating a website that is functional and drives leads takes time, so when you are planning your website redesign strategy, do not try to do everything all at once. Rushing necessary steps will sacrifice the quality you want for your website. There is no set timeline for how long this process takes, as it depends on the size and scope of your website as well as how much improvement is needed. However, it usually takes a couple of months. Once you have decided on a timeline that works for you, break it down into smaller sprints with specific milestones you want to achieve. This will help keep you on track and ensure that you are making the progress you want to see.

Create Or Update The Style Guide

An important but often neglected website redesign consideration is revising your brand style guide. Without one, you should earnestly think about making one. This is the persona people see when they think of your business and what you stand for. By updating your brand style, you’ll guarantee that what your brand says and wants to communicate is aligned. Primarily, you need to comprehend who you are and what you’re selling to match your message with that. Your brand’s visual elements, such as typography, color palette, logo, etc., should reflect who you are as a company.

Do a Competitive Analysis

Keeping an eye on your competitors is important for a variety of reasons. Not only will you get a sense of what strategies are being used in your industry, but you’ll also be able to see what’s working well for them and where they could improve. This close analysis can help you find inspiration for your revamping website while ensuring you’re meeting (and exceeding) customer expectations.

Determine What Content You Need With Updates

Content wireframes are key when redesigning your website – focus on pages with poor results and create content that will help your visitors find what they are looking for so that they keep coming back. This takes a lot of work, but it is ultimately worth it. When following revamping website steps, ensure your actions don’t come at the expense of your high-performing content. Removing pages that drive a lot of traffic and contain many inbound links can undermine your marketing efforts, so focus on improving those pages instead.

Design The Website

After you’ve completed the earlier stages, it’s time to focus on web design. To start, create wireframes that show how your content will be arranged on each page. This will give you a birds-eye view of the site’s structure. Then, move on to redesigning the homepage and other pages. Taking this approach will save you time by avoiding revisions down the line. Plus, it’ll help you develop an engaging website that’ll drive more visitors and quality leads.

Develop Your Website

After the design is completed, it’s time to begin website development. Make sure to take your time during this stage and code the website clearly and concisely, following all the best SEO and marketing practices. When transferring your flat design mockups to the website, be sure also to check cross-browser functionality to provide a positive experience for all users, regardless of their browser choice. Ensure that your website will be displayed correctly on all browsers so that no users are left frustrated with how your site appears.

Test & Launch Your New Website

After you’ve put all the pieces together and you’re confident that your website is ready to go live, the next step is to test everything to ensure it’s functioning correctly. This includes checking for broken links, ensuring all meta descriptions are accurate, and confirming that there are no broken images. Once you launch your site, monitor it closely to ensure all pages are loading correctly and that your analytics are set up correctly.

Why is Regular Website Redesign Important?

In today’s competitive business world, your website is one of the most important determinants of success. Potential customers will research and review your website and online presence before deciding whether to call you and purchase your services. They will also compare you to your competitors. You only have 50 milliseconds to make an excellent first impression and keep customers on your site. Thus, you must grab their attention right away.

One of the website redesign benefits is that you can stay ahead of the trends and outdo your competitors. If you notice that your website traffic is decreasing or your site looks outdated, it’s clear that you need to make some changes. Redesigning your website can help you attract more visitors and keep them engaged with your brand. 

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How Often Should You Redesign Your Website?

Redesigning a website can be a big undertaking, but it’s usually worth it. A well-designed website can lead to happier users, increased lead generation, and even higher revenue. And since your website is always up and running, you must ensure it’s always performing at its best. So how do you know when it’s time to redesign your website? Here are some signs to look for:

• Old Fashioned Look

The functionality and visual appearance of your website are important for several reasons. The way your website looks visually defines how your users see your brand and associate it with the quality of your products or services. If it’s cluttered with hyperlinks, poorly scaled images, and too much text, it may perform poorly and repel potential visitors.

To help improve your brand, you must take some time to visit your competitor’s websites and see what they’re doing right. Take note of how modern their website looks and what kind of visuals they use. Then apply these insights to your brand. You want to make sure that the first impression visitors have of your brand is positive, and you can do that by redesigning your website to be on par with or even exceed your competitors.

• Unsatisfying Metrics and Rates 

If your website is losing traffic, consider giving it a facelift. Metrics will tell you whether your website provides engaging content for visitors and delivers the information they are looking for. A high bounce rate, for example, means that users are leaving the site after visiting only one page because they weren’t interested in the content. A low conversion rate means that users aren’t performing the desired actions on your website. 

• Negative User Feedback

Even if it might be challenging to hear, negative feedback from customers is crucial to understanding what might not be working on your website and causing issues. If you find an increasing number of users unhappy with their experience, it might be time for a change. Use the negative feedback you collect to make future improvements to your website.

Different Ways to Know Your Web design is not Working

Before redesigning your website, you should plan it thoroughly to get results and not go over budget and timeline. And here are the mistakes you should avoid while creating a site with solid performance:

– Not Defining the Objectives: The first step is to determine what you want to achieve with the redesign. Without clear objectives, you will end up with a website that may look good but doesn’t perform well.

– Not Researching the Competitors: How can you beat them if you don’t know what your competitors are doing? Make sure to research their websites and find out what they are doing right and wrong.

– Not Creating a Detailed Plan: A website redesign is a big project and should be treated as such. Jumping into a project without a detailed plan is a recipe for disaster.

– Not Testing the New Website: Once the new website is launched, it’s important to test it to ensure everything works as it should. Otherwise, you risk losing visitors and customers.

Final Words

Does your website need a redesign? We hope that by the end of this blog, you will have a definite answer. A website refresh is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of time, money, and effort – but trust us when we say it’ll be worth it in the end. When you’re finally ready to take the plunge, allocate enough resources to get the job done right. Do your research, analyze your business goals, develop a clear strategy, and create an aesthetically pleasing website that is easy to navigate – this will help you attract more customers and achieve positive business results.

If you’re considering a revamping website, it’s always best to hire professionals to handle it. The team at Syndell has years of experience helping startups grow and knows exactly how to upgrade websites and make them more appealing to users. If you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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