Website Redesign Guide

Your website looks outdated. Traffic is down. Conversions are low. Is it time for a redesign? Here's how to know and how to do it right.

Signs You Need a Redesign

1. Performance Issues

• ❌ Slow loading (over 3 seconds)
• ❌ Doesn't work on mobile
• ❌ Frequent crashes
• ❌ Poor search rankings

2. Business Changes

• ✅ New products/services
• ✅ Rebranding
• ✅ Merged companies
• ✅ Changed target market

3. Outdated Design

• ❌ Looks like it's from 2010
• ❌ Flash animations
• ❌ Non-responsive design
• ❌ Cluttered layout

4. Poor Results

• ❌ High bounce rate (over 70%)
• ❌ Low conversions
• ❌ Negative user feedback
• ❌ Losing to competitors

Redesign vs Refresh

Full Redesign ($5,000-50,000)

• New design from scratch
• New content strategy
• New technology/platform
• 2-6 months

When needed:

• Site is 5+ years old
• Changing platforms
• Complete rebrand
• Major functionality changes

Refresh ($1,000-10,000)

• Updated colors/fonts
• Modern layout
• Improved mobile experience
• New photos
• 2-4 weeks

When needed:

• Site works but looks dated
• Minor brand updates
• Quick wins needed
• Limited budget

Redesign Process

Phase 1: Planning (Weeks 1-2)

Define Goals:

• What's not working?
• What should improve?
• Success metrics?
• Budget and timeline?

Analyze Current Site:

Google Analytics:
- Top landing pages
- Traffic sources
- Conversion paths
- Bounce rates
- User demographics

User Feedback:
- What users like
- What frustrates them
- What's confusing
- What's missing

Competitive Analysis:

• What are competitors doing?
• What works well?
• What can we do better?

Phase 2: Design (Weeks 3-6)

Create:

• Sitemap
• Wireframes
• Visual design
• Content strategy
• Style guide

Focus on:

• Clear navigation
• Strong CTAs
• Mobile-first design
• Fast loading
• Brand consistency

Phase 3: Development (Weeks 7-10)

Build:

• Front-end (HTML/CSS/JS)
• Back-end functionality
• CMS integration
• Third-party integrations
• Forms and features

Ensure:

• Mobile responsive
• Browser compatibility
• Accessibility (WCAG 2.1)
• SEO optimization
• Performance optimization

Phase 4: Testing (Weeks 11-12)

Test:

• All links work
• Forms submit correctly
• Mobile experience
• All browsers
• Page speed
• Security
• SEO elements
• Analytics tracking

Phase 5: Launch (Week 13)

Pre-Launch:

• Backup old site
• Set up redirects (301s)
• Test on staging
• Train team
• Prepare announcement

Launch:

• Deploy to production
• Monitor closely
• Fix any issues quickly
• Announce to customers

Post-Launch:

• Monitor analytics
• Check search rankings
• Gather feedback
• Make adjustments

Avoid These Mistakes

1. Redesigning Without Data

❌ "Our site looks old"
✅ "Bounce rate is 80%, mobile traffic converts 50% worse, and users say navigation is confusing"

2. Changing Everything

❌ New URL structure, new navigation, new content, new everything
✅ Keep what works, fix what doesn't

3. Ignoring SEO

❌ New URLs without redirects
✅ 301 redirects from all old URLs

4. Forgetting Mobile

❌ Desktop-first design
✅ Mobile-first design (60% of traffic is mobile)

5. No Conversion Plan

❌ Pretty design with no clear CTAs
✅ Design focused on guiding users to convert

6. Launching Without Testing

❌ "It works on my computer"
✅ Test on multiple devices, browsers, scenarios

Redesign Checklist

Before You Start

• Document current performance
• Set clear goals
• Define success metrics
• Get stakeholder buy-in
• Set realistic budget/timeline

Design Phase

• User-friendly navigation
• Clear value proposition
• Strong CTAs
• Mobile-optimized
• Fast loading design
• Accessible design

Development Phase

• Clean, semantic code
• Responsive breakpoints
• Browser compatible
• Performance optimized
• SEO-friendly structure
• Analytics integrated

Pre-Launch

• All pages tested
• Forms working
• Mobile tested
• 301 redirects set up
• SSL certificate installed
• Backup created

Post-Launch

• Monitor analytics
• Check for errors
• Gather feedback
• Make improvements
• Document learnings

Maintain SEO During Redesign

1. Keep Important URLs

✅ example.com/services (keep this)
❌ example.com/what-we-do (don't change)

2. Set Up 301 Redirects

Old URL → New URL
/about-us → /about
/contact-form → /contact

3. Preserve On-Page SEO

- Keep title tags
- Keep meta descriptions
- Keep header structure
- Keep quality content
- Keep internal linking

4. Submit New Sitemap

1. Generate new sitemap.xml
2. Submit to Google Search Console
3. Monitor indexing

Measuring Success

Track these metrics:

Weeks 1-4:

• No major errors
• Traffic stable or growing
• Rankings maintained

Months 2-3:

• Improved conversions
• Lower bounce rate
• Better mobile metrics
• Positive user feedback

Months 4-6:

• ROI positive
• Goals achieved
• Competitive advantage
• Easy to maintain

When NOT to Redesign

Sometimes fixing specific issues is better:

Instead of redesign:

• Speed up existing site
• Improve mobile experience
• Fix navigation
• Update content
• Add clear CTAs
• Improve forms

Much cheaper and faster than full redesign!

Conclusion

Redesign when:

• Data shows specific problems
• Business needs changed significantly
• Current site can't be fixed
• You have clear goals and budget

Don't redesign because:

• You're bored with the design
• Competitor redesigned theirs
• Someone said it looks old
• You have no clear goals

A good redesign:

• Solves specific problems
• Improves measurable metrics
• Maintains SEO value
• Delivers ROI

Plan carefully, execute well, measure results. Your redesigned site should serve your business better for years to come!