Do you feel a longing to give your website a new look? Or maybe it’s a glaring need you’ve put on the back burner for far too long.
Every so often, a website overhaul, or even just a modest refresh, can be the breath of fresh life you need to re-energize your business. But only serving visuals and aesthetics during a website revamp is not going to produce sustainable results or the best customer experience. You need to think about this project comprehensively and be mindful throughout each step of website development as to how the end result will reflect upon your brand and impact your customer.
Why? Your website is your digital storefront—it is the face of your business. And the reality is: whatever you present to your potential customer creates a first impression that can last forever. So, a full transformation “glow-up” is best achieved when it’s driven by thoughtful strategy.
When Is the Right Time For Website Revamp?
There are no hard, fast rules here. But there is common sense. You can do a website redesign whenever you want. However, imagining the lengthy process that goes into website development as well as content writing, editing, and back-and-forth revisions is enough to stress out your team.
Consider this. The process is only as complicated as you make it, and putting this off won’t magically make things better. It will just make you oblivious to the critical “potholes” in your website that are growing larger as time passes. Then, there will be times when you absolutely need a website redesign and it simply cannot be ignored. This is when most businesses act out of panic, not passion. Stay ahead of it! As soon as you get the “itch” to refresh your website, start having conversations right away. The process always takes longer than you’d like, so “right now” is the best time to lay the groundwork for a website redesign.
Here are a couple of signs you need to watch out for:
- Poor user experience
- Outdated design
- Website does not match your brand look
- High bounce rate
- Conversions are going down
- Hard to meet target goals
- Struggle to navigate your website
- Difficult to find contact details and other key information
- Web content does not provide value to your visitor
- Content does not rank well with important keywords
- Competitor website outperforms your own website
Any of these problems should not be overlooked or ignored. But if you know your website is guilty of three or more issues on this list, it’s time to bite the bullet and prioritize the redesign of your website.
6 Things to Keep in Mind for Your Website Redesign
Measure twice, cut once.
You know the saying. As it relates to a website revamp, it means dedicating adequate time to plan and prepare before you jump into the “demolition” of the website development process.
1. Check what still works…and what does not.
Take stock of your website. Get the numbers, analytics, and other details that measure your website’s current performance.
Audit and analyze everything to identify which parts are working, which parts need to be further optimized, and which ones need to be updated or changed.
Also, if something no longer serves a clear purpose, it is best to just get rid of it completely. Less is more, especially for your website development. Clutter is still clutter, even digitally.
2. Make a website redesign checklist.
Regardless if the things you need for the website revamp are few or many. It is still a good idea to have a website redesign checklist. It enables you to be organized and have a clear picture when you start the website development.
Plus, the checklist can be used to set your goals and to measure progress against these goals. Be as specific as possible. You can even add target numbers and expected results. After the website development is complete, it will come in handy once you measure the improvements between the old and the updated.
3. Set your website development timeline.
While we want the website development to be done as fast as possible, it will take a while whether we like it or not.
It is important to set a realistic deadline—emphasis on realistic. No one wants a half-baked or botched website! You need to allow time for the website development process to follow its course. Any piece that is rushed is subject to errors and omissions.
Create a timeline. Make sure to factor in the parts that eat a large chunk of your marketing team’s time and which ones take the least amount of time. Organize these in terms of urgency, process flow, and render or production time.
4. Update to match your users.
Remember, you are doing this website revamp to better appeal to your target audience and customers.
As a business, you have become quite familiar with them. Beyond demographics, you should now know what they like, what motivates them to buy, and other preferences. Be to leverage this data to your benefit when redesigning your website to match the user’s desired experience. If your website’s approach doesn’t match your user’s expectations, it will not drive action – no matter how “pretty” it may look.
5. Simplify where you can.
As previously mentioned, less is more. For website development, long and chunky website scripts simply equal slower page performance.
Make sure to check all your web pages’ scripts since this website redesign will be a head-to-toe transformation. For example: If you have libraries, assess these carefully and only get the parts that your website actually uses. Or, further, simplify the navigation to make it easier for your target users to find what they want to see. This helps keep them on your website longer!
6. Make sure your SEO is on point
Last, and most certainly not least, remember to always consider how this website redesign will impact your SEO performance—before and after.
While in the process of website development, make sure to apply the best practices for SEO. Here are a couple of things you should address and check:
- Include keywords in page titles, meta descriptions, and metatags on every web page.
- Check links that lead to internal web pages and other relevant sites.
- Ensure good user experience for navigation.
- All web content is readable and understandable.
- Existing backlinks can help boost your website’s authority score.
- Render or load time of each web page.
- Measure the performance of every back-end function.
This will help you save time and minimize any back-and-forth processes down the line.
Ace Your Website Development, Rock the Website Revamp
As they say, “Good things take time.” Realistically the website development will take time, maybe more than you’d like. But, staying patient and focused on delivering the best possible end product for your users will ensure all the effort and investment are worth it. When done right, a refreshed and optimized website will meet your target numbers and increase the conversion of visitors into actual paying customers.
Be sure to remember these things before you get started!
- Audit your website and analyses every component
- Create a checklist and add your goals
- Stick to a realistic timeline
- Match the website according to your user’s needs
- Less is more, so simplify where you can
- Apply the best SEO practices during the website development process
If you were being honest with how you felt about your website’s current design, how would you describe it? Do you find that customers are quickly bouncing off your site before staying long enough to take your desired action? Or does the website no longer reflect your current brand? These “red flags” should inspire you to prioritize your website redesign sooner than later. A well-designed, well-functioning website is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s an essential part of any business. And remember, if you’re not investing in a great website…just know your competition likely is!
Stop overthinking – and start envisioning what a refreshed website could do for your branding, outreach, and confidence in the marketplace!
Guest Author Bio: Flexisource IT is your best gateway to top-caliber fully managed IT teams dedicated to servicing Australian businesses and startups to scale up and grow rapidly.
The Comm Entrepreneur 