Is Your Website In Need Of A Facelift? Six Top Tips That’ll Help Smooth Your Redesign

Most websites undergo some revamp during their lifecycle. Maybe your website isn’t converting for you and you’re convinced it’s down to the design.

Perhaps you’ve clocked your closest competitor’s swish new ‘bells and whistles’ website that rather puts yours in the shade. Or could it simply be that the nature of your business has changed over several years. You’re plugging different products and services to a different audience than before.

Whether you’re wanting to redesign your website for purely aesthetic purposes, or for more practical reasons, these top tips will help you make the transition smoothly and easily:

Why Do We Need To Redesign?

It’s the most obvious question and perhaps the most complex. Yet before undertaking any kind of revamp, you need to be clear on why you’re doing it. Are you unhappy with your content? How might it be improved? Do you need to outsource your copywriting requirements to a specialist writer? Could your site be better looking? Or more user-friendly?

Once you have determined the main reason(s) for your redesign, make a list of what needs to be accomplished. This will help you focus on your end goal – and more importantly – you will know when you have achieved it.

What Type Of Redesign Do We Need?

Are we talking minor tweaks here and there? Or a major overhaul of functions and aesthetics? Perhaps your site could benefit from the addition of several new features. Does your coding need addressing? Of course your requirements will need to be aligned with your budget, so it’s best to begin discussions with your chosen developer earlier rather than later.

What Is Working Well Currently . . . And What Isn’t?

Break your site down into key components: Home page; Sales page; photo gallery; blog and so on. Identify which of these components works effectively for you and which need some attention. Balance this with the overall vision for your new website. You may need to be ruthless with your ‘pruning.’ There’s no point in commissioning a temporary makeover now, only to find you need to do the same exercise again in six months’ time.

How Do Visitors Use Your Website?

Your visitor statistics will reveal a great deal about what is good and not so good about your website. This information will help you spot content and problem areas. Study your traffic stats and site analytics for information on key things such as entry and exit pages, sales conversions, and search engine keywords.

What would you like visitors to do when they arrive on your site? How does your ideal vision differ from what is happening currently? What needs to alter for your ideal scenario to happen?

Have You Changed Your Branding Or Company Image?

If so, these changes need to be reflected in your updated website. If your logo has altered, it may be you will need a colour scheme overhaul to fit in with the new corporate visuals. Your brand identity is an extremely important element of your marketing, and often forms the first impression people get of your business. And you know what they say about only getting one chance to make a good first impression!

How Will You Launch Your Redesign?

Is it something you will announce a month or so in advance and thus create a buzz? Or do you plan to be more unobtrusive about the ‘new you’ and roll the changes out gradually? Major relaunches using social media and press releases are ideal for when you’re running a promotion or competition as part of your website rebranding strategy. They can help draw additional traffic to your site and create ‘flow’ momentum.