Mark Campen
Redesigning a website is not a simple task. It requires a lot of planning, research, design, development, testing, and optimization. Redesigning a website improves your website's performance, usability, appearance, and conversion rate. However, it's costly, time-consuming, and risky if not done properly.
In this blog post, we will guide you through the 13 steps on how to redesign a website. Also, we will provide some key points that you need to consider before redesigning an existing website these points will help you in achieving your website redesign goals.
How To Redesign a Website?
1. Assess Current Website Performance
The first step in a website redesign is to Assess the Current website's performance and figure out its strengths and weaknesses. To collect and analyze data about your website's traffic, engagement, conversion, and user activity, you can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Hotjar.
To comprehend how to redesign a website effectively, start by assessing its current performance comprehensively.
Here are some of the key metrics and aspects that you should evaluate before redesigning an existing website.
Traffic sources
Where are your visitors coming from? Which channels are bringing the most traffic to your website? How is the performance of your organic, paid, social, referral, and direct traffic?
Bounce rate
How many people quit your website after only reading one page? What are the causes of their bouncing? How can you reduce your bounce rate and increase your retention rate?
Conversion rate
How many visitors complete the intended action, such as signing up, purchasing, subscribing, or contacting you? What are the factors that influence your conversion rate? How can you improve your conversion rate and increase your revenue?
User Feedback
What do people say about websites? What are their preferences, dislikes, requirements, and expectations? What is the satisfaction level regarding your website? How can you improve your user satisfaction and loyalty?
By assessing your current website performance, you can get a clear picture of your website's current state and identify the areas that you need improvement or change.
2. Define Your Redesign Objectives and Goals
The second step of redesigning a website is to define your objectives and goals. You need to have a clear vision and purpose for your website redesign project. It would help if you answered questions like:
Why do you want to redesign in your website?
What are the main problems or challenges that you want to solve or overcome within your website? What are the opportunities or benefits that you want to seize or create with your website redesign?
What do you want to achieve with your website redesign?
What are the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that you want to accomplish with your website redesign? How will you measure and track your progress and success?
Who are you redesigning your website for?
Who are your target audience or users? What are their demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and needs? How can you create a website that meets their needs and expectations?
How will you redesign your website?
What are the strategies, tactics, and tools that you will use to redesign your website? What are the resources, budget, and timeline that you have for your website redesign project? How will you manage and execute your website redesign project?
By defining your redesign objectives and goals, you can have a clear direction and focus for your website redesign project. Also, align your website redesign with your business goals and user needs.
3. Conduct User Research and Analysis
The third phase in the redesign of a website is to conduct user research and analysis. You need to understand your users and your users' requirements, interests, habits, and expectations. You have to perform user research and analysis using a variety of approaches and techniques, such as:
Surveys and interviews
You can use surveys and interviews to collect quantitative and qualitative data from your users. You can ask them questions about their demographics, psychographics, behaviours, needs, expectations, satisfaction, and feedback.
There are various tools in the industry that you can use according to your requirements it's totally up to you.
User personas and journey maps
Use user personas and journey maps to create realistic and detailed profiles of your users and map out their interactions and experiences with your website.
Usability testing and user testing
Use usability testing to evaluate and improve the usability and user experience of your website. Assign your users to perform specific tasks on your website, then observe and record their actions, reactions, and feedback.
By putting your users at the center of your redesign, you can create a website that truly resonates with them.
4. Competitor Analysis
To create a website that stands out from the competition, it's important to conduct a comprehensive competitor analysis.
Analyze your competitors and see action what they are doing well and what they are doing poorly on their websites. You can use tools like Semrush, or 360 Marketing Tool to collect and compare data on your competitors' websites, such as:
Traffic sources and volume
Where are your competitors' visitors coming from and how much traffic are they getting? Which channels are driving the most traffic to their websites? How are their organic, paid, social, referral, and direct traffic performing?
Keywords and ranking
On which keywords they are ranking and how well are they ranking? What are their search volume, keyword difficulty, and traffic potential? How do their keywords match the user intent and needs?
Content and design
What type of content and design are your competitors using on their websites? What are their content quality, quantity, and variety? What is their design style, layout, and elements? How are their content and design appealing to and engaging with their users?
Conversion and performance
How are they converting their visitors into customers, leads, or subscribers? What is their conversion rate, funnel, and strategy? What is their website speed, security, and functionality level?
By understanding your competitor's actions and strategy, you can strive to surpass their offerings and create a unique user experience.
5. Information Architecture and Wireframing
The phases of information architecture and wireframing play an important role in the website redesign process. Create an organized and straightforward site structure that guides users seamlessly through your website.
To provide an excellent user experience, consider user flow and prioritize essential content. Wireframes serve as blueprints for each page, providing the layout and structure.
These wireframes will be used as a guide for designers and developers as they create the actual website.
6. Design Visual Elements and Mockups
Now comes the exciting part: designing the visual elements of your website. Visual elements are the colors, fonts, icons, images, and graphics that you use on your website. Mockups are high-fidelity prototypes that give you the final look and feel of your website.
You need to design the visual elements and mockups of your website based on your user research, competitor analysis, and content strategy. You need to create a website that is attractive, consistent, and branded for your users and Google.
Some of the aspects of designing the visual elements and mockups of your website are:
Choose your website's color scheme
You need to choose your website's color scheme and how you will use colors to create contrast, harmony, and emotion on your website.
You need to choose colors that match your brand identity, industry, and audience. You have to use colors that are appealing, accessible, and consistent on your website.
Choose your website's typography
You need to choose your website's typography and how you will use fonts to create hierarchy, readability, and personality on your website.
You have to choose fonts that match your brand voice, tone, and message. You need to use fonts that are legible, responsive, and consistent on your website.
Choose your website's images and graphics
You need to choose your website's images and graphics and how you will use them to support, enhance, and complement your content on your website. Choose images and graphics that match your brand style, theme, and purpose. Use images and graphics that are relevant, high-quality, and optimized on your website.
Create your website's mockups
You need to create your website's mockups, the final versions of your website's design that show the exact appearance and interaction of your website.
You need to create mockups that are realistic, detailed, and interactive. You need to use the mockups to get feedback and approval from your users and clients.
7. Development and Coding
Once the design phase is complete, it's time to bring your website to life through development and coding. Work with expert developers to turn your concepts into fully working websites.
Ascertain that the development process adheres to best practices in terms of performance, accessibility, and responsiveness.
You'll design a website that loads quickly, functions flawlessly across all devices, and is accessible to all users if you write clean and efficient code.
8. Testing and Quality Assurance
Thorough testing and quality assurance are crucial before publishing your redesigned website. To provide a consistent user experience, test the website's operation on various devices and browsers.
Conduct user testing to collect input and identify usability concerns. Conduct extensive quality assurance tests to detect and correct any weaknesses or issues.
By devoting time and resources to testing and quality assurance, you can eliminate possible problems and ensure a seamless user experience from the start.
9. Launch and Deployment
It's time to unveil your redesigned website to the world. Ensure a smooth launch by following a well-defined deployment plan. Coordinate with your web hosting provider and IT team to ensure a seamless transition from the old website to the new one.
Before going live, thoroughly test the website one more time. Communicate your target audience about the launch and use your marketing channels to build excitement and drive visitors to the new website.
10. Post-Launch Optimization
After the launch, it's important to continue optimizing and refining your website. Important indicators, such as conversion rates and engagement, should be monitored to discover development opportunities.
Collect user feedback and make gradual changes based on user behavior. Keep up with industry trends and best practices to keep your website fresh and competitive.
By constantly optimizing your website post-launch, you'll provide a better user experience and drive better results.
11. Post-Launch Optimization
After the launch, it's important to continue optimizing and refining your website. Important indicators, such as conversion rates and engagement, should be monitored to discover development opportunities.
Collect user feedback and make gradual changes based on user behavior. Keep up with industry trends and best practices to keep your website fresh and competitive.
By constantly optimizing your website post-launch, you'll provide a better user experience and drive better results.
12. Marketing and Promotion
Once your redesigned website is live, it's important to market and promote it effectively. Leverage various marketing channels, such as social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization, to drive traffic to your website.
Create compelling content that enlists new features and improvements. Collaborate with influencers or industry partners to amplify your reach.
By implementing a comprehensive marketing and promotion strategy, you'll maximize the visibility and impact of your redesigned website.
13. Measure and Analyze Performance Post-Redesign
After all the hard work, it's time to measure and analyze the performance of your redesigned website. Evaluate key performance metrics, such as user engagement, conversion rates, and overall website traffic.
Compare these metrics to the pre-redesign data to gauge the effectiveness of the redesign. Make data-driven decisions and iterate on your website based on the insights gathered.
By continuously measuring and analyzing performance, you'll ensure that your website remains effective and evolves with the ever-changing digital landscape.
How Much Does It Cost To Redesign An Existing Website?
The cost of redesigning an existing website depends upon several factors, such as the size, complexity, functionality, and design of the website, the method of redesign, and the provider of the redesign service.
According to industry, the average cost of website redesign can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
Some of the common methods and providers of website redesign are:
Do-it-yourself (DIY) or in-house
This method involves redesigning the website yourself or with your team, using online platforms, tools, or templates. This method is cheaper and more flexible, but it's also time-consuming, challenging, and limited in terms of quality and functionality.
The average cost of DIY or in-house website redesign is around $100 to $5,000 per site.
Freelancer
This method involves hiring a freelance web designer or developer to redesign your website, based on your specifications and requirements. This method is more affordable and customized, but it's also risky, inconsistent, and unreliable, depending on the freelancer's skills, experience, and availability.
The average cost of a freelancer website redesign is around $3,000 to $10,000 per site.
Agency
This method involves hiring a professional web design agency to redesign your website, based on your goals and objectives. This method can be more expensive and complex, but it’s more effective, efficient, and reliable, depending on the agency's reputation, expertise, and portfolio.
The average cost of agency website redesign is around $5,000 to $75,000 per site.
The best method and provider for your website redesign depends on your budget, timeline, and expectations. You should compare the pros and cons of each option and choose the one that suits your needs and preferences.
You have to consider the return on investment (ROI) of your website redesign, as a well-designed website helps attract more visitors, generate more leads, and increase your sales.
Conclusion
In short, redesigning a website is not a simple task, but by following these 13 steps, you can ensure a smooth and successful process.
Remember to assess your current website performance, set clear objectives and goals, conduct thorough user research, analyze your competitors, create a comprehensive content strategy, and meticulously plan the design, development, and launch stages.
Continuously measure and analyze your website's performance post-redesign to identify areas for improvement.
Your revamped website may create a superb user experience and produce desired outcomes with proper planning and implementation. So, don't wait any longer to start this exciting journey and transform your online presence today!
If you want expert consulting and coaching, then contact us for a personalized budget that your website redesign needs.
