Prepare for a strategic website redesign with these steps. A strategic approach improves the ROI of your website.
Your website is the first impression of your business. You want it to look modern and have all the necessary features to convert visitors into customers. One disappointment or a slow-loading page can lead to a customer turning to your competitors. A website redesign can seem like a confusing and complicated process. But when done right, a strategic website redesign can strengthen your brand presence and lead to a greater ROI on your website. Here’s your guide to getting the most out of your redesign.
Signs It’s Time to Redesign Your Website
While you’re trying to justify the cost of your website redesign, make sure it’s really time to get it done by looking for the following signs that it’s time for a change.
The design elements are outdated.
The layout is outdated or lacks visual effects.
You are seeing high bounce rates on multiple pages.
Visitors are not interacting with your site.
Search engine rankings are falling despite active work on the page.
The loading speed does not meet modern expectations.
Your site does not meet mobile-friendliness criteria.
Your website branding is not consistent with your current brand guidelines.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Strategic Website Redesign
Follow this step-by-step guide to get the most out of a strategic website redesign.
1. Set goals
Take some time to identify where your site is lacking and how updating it can help you improve. Align your website goals with your organization’s goals or business strategy. And always consider your target audience.
Identify the purpose your website serves. This could be brand awareness, customer acquisition, or sales. Spend time talking to your target audience or conduct audience research to learn more about your target demographic. Use this data to shape your content and strategy. You should speak to your customers’ pain points and challenges to help them achieve their goals.
2. Content audit and content strategy development
Analyze what content you have and what you are missing. Review your site analytics and look at the pages that are performing the best. What can be replicated on these pages in other content? You will also want to preserve and protect these pages on the new site for best results.
When analyzing your site content, pay attention to how relevant, effective, and high-quality it is. Find areas for improvement, take the time to eliminate and redirect pages with redundant content.
Then use that information to develop a content strategy for the future. When developing a content strategy, consider more than just what it takes to launch a site. Think about what it takes to keep your customers coming back.
When developing a content strategy, make Belgium Email Lead sure it aligns with your SEO plan to achieve greater visibility for your site and increase organic traffic.
3. Modernize the design and fix UI elements
Strategic Website Redesign
Look at your website through the lens of a consumer. How easy is it to navigate? Can you figure out what you’re selling in seconds? Is it engaging? Are there large blocks of text that visitors might find overwhelming?
Now is your chance to create a modern website. Today’s websites are simple, clear and intuitive. They are also very mobile-friendly and responsive. They engage users and make browsing a pleasant experience.
Analyze where your site visitors are currently bouncing and what might be causing this. Then you will understand where to go next.
Conduct focus groups to understand how the new design fits your target market. Test placing colors in different places, adding video, more visuals, etc. Get a feel for what works best for your market so you don’t regret any aspect of the redesign later.
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4. Review of technical requirements
Most website visitors never think about the technical aspects that make your site work behind the scenes. But these technical elements are just as important as the design and content.
The speed of your website depends on strong technical planning and efficient architecture. Choose the best CMS that will allow you to scale your site as your company grows, while still providing ease of use so you can update it efficiently.
Make sure your website technology works well across browsers so your audience can always reach you.
At this stage, you should also analyze the security of your site. If necessary, upgrade it to protect consumer data and prevent hacking. Using HTTPS builds user trust and also helps improve SEO.
Use thoughtful URL structures that include keywords from your SEO and clearly explain what the page is about. Include meta tags on all pages to increase the visibility of your site.
5. Set a budget
Redesigning a website costs money. Depending on your resources, it may make sense to upgrade your website in stages. Review your budget and plan for expenses, including developer fees and ongoing maintenance.
A realistic budget will help you allocate funds accordingly and gradually make changes to your site’s page templates and infrastructure to spread the full cost of the redesign over several months.
Setting a realistic budget will also help you stay on track and avoid falling behind on your project due to a lack of funds.
Consider whether you will need a web designer and developer to bring your site to life. Budget for themes, plugins, and ongoing maintenance required for your site. This may include paying for a developer or setting aside funds for updates every few months.
While DIY templates and CRM systems can make your budget more affordable, they often don’t work as well in the long run. To maximize your ROI, avoid ready-made templates that can slow down your site and limit its alignment with your brand.
6. Preparing for launch
Before you launch your site, create a launch plan. This will ensure a smooth process and increase the chances of your site staying visible.
Part of your launch plan should be a schedule. Consider how long each stage of the project will take, including design, development, testing, and revision.
Review the plan with stakeholders to ensure you haven’t missed anything or left out key stakeholders.
Your launch strategy should also include a social media plan, email announcements, and clarification on how site visitors can contact you if they have problems or questions.
7. Launching and monitoring problems
After the website is launched, it is necessary to monitor its operation. Solve them quickly so that they do not have consequences for the business. Do not leave problem areas unattended, as this can spoil the relationship with clients and affect their attitude towards the website.
8. Constantly improve the site
Your site will never become outdated or require a major overhaul if you update it regularly. Continuous improvement is generally easier than a major overhaul because it doesn’t require a large initial investment or huge resources right away. Instead, the resources are spread out over the years as you continue to follow best practices.
Partner in your website redesign
New Light Digital is an experienced website designer and developer. Our websites and overall marketing strategy have helped brands increase their return on advertising (ROAS) by 90%. Start planning your website redesign now with a free consultation and quote.
