Maximum Impact — Essential Tips to Use BEFORE You Redesign Your Website

For many customers, your website is the first impression they’ll have of your business. And first impressions matter. People form an opinion about a website in a lightning fast .05 seconds.

Which is why keeping an up-to-date and well-designed site is so critical when it comes to attracting (and retaining) your visitors – and hopefully converting them into loyal customers.

But how can you make sure all your effort results in the success you’re looking for? Let’s take a closer look at some tips to use before you redesign your website.

 

Why Redesign Your Website?

Your website is a powerful marketing tool that can significantly impact your business’s success. But it also needs to grow and change with the times. The best sites don’t stay the same for long.

If your website feels stale, lacks key features like mobile optimization, or isn’t performing as well as you’d like (especially when it comes to attracting and converting visitors), a well-executed redesign can help by making your website easy and fun to explore. When visitors find your site easy to use, and visually appealing, they’re more likely to stay longer and check out your brand’s offerings.

An updated design also gives you the chance to incorporate the latest trends and technologies, so your site doesn’t feel clunky or outdated.

 

Tips to Successfully Redesign Your Website

A well-thought-out redesign can have a big impact on your online presence – especially when it comes to customer engagement – but taking your website to the next level isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. Here are some tips to consider before you begin your website redesign journey.

 

1: Analyze Your Website’s Performance

First thing’s first – before you dive into your redesign, you’ll want to take a look at your website’s current performance. Figure out which specific aspects are working well – and which ones aren’t meeting your expectations.

Powerful tools like Google Analytics are a great way to gather plenty data on key metrics like page views, engagement rates, and user behavior patterns. Use that data to better understand how visitors interact with your site – what pages do they spend the most time on, and how easily they can navigate through your content.

By determining your website’s strengths and weaknesses, you’ll get a good idea of what to keep, and what to change.

 

2: Set Your Goals

What do you want to achieve with your website redesign?

Now that you know what is and isn’t working on your current site, you can start setting your goals. This helps you focus your redesign efforts. That way, the end result will align perfectly with your business objectives.

Some common goals to consider:

• • Improve User Experience: Make your website easier and more enjoyable to use.
  • Increase Traffic: Attract more visitors through better SEO and marketing strategies.
  • Improve Conversions: Turn visitors into customers by optimizing your sales funnel.
  • Update Website Looks: Refresh the visual design to stay fresh, relevant, and up-to-date.
  • Design for the Traffic: Have you heard of mobile-first web design? For some clients, they get more traffic from mobile devices than computers, so we take a mobile-first approach to our design.

 

3: Set Your Redesign Budget and Timeline

Redesigning a website isn’t a simple task – it requires a significant investment of both your time and your money. To help set the odds in your favor, set a realistic budget and timeline that will guide the entire process.

Start by estimating costs associated with various components, like UX/UI designs and new content, whether it’s copywriting, photography, or video production. By taking into account the time and financial commitment required before you start the redesign, you can prepare for any unexpected challenges and prioritize the changes that make the most sense for your budget.

 

4: Prepare Your Content Before the Redesign

Content is king, as they say. And having content that’s both relevant and engaging is crucial for a successful website. Take some time to review your current content. Ask yourself what can be reused, updated, or discarded.

Next, plan any new content you’ll need, whether it’s blog posts, videos, or infographics. Then, get creating. Double check that all the new content lines up with your redesign philosophy. This will help you make sure that everything is polished and ready for your website redesign. As with the other tips, preparing early will ultimately help save you time and resources.

 

5: Create a Blueprint for Your Website Layout

With your goals and content in mind, you can start sketching out a blueprint for your new layout. A blueprint helps you map out where text, images, and buttons will be placed – before you dive into all of the little details of your design’s specifics. Providing some example web sites can be incredibly helpful in guiding your web designer to capture the desired look and feel for your redesign.

Focus on the user’s journey through your website – make sure it flows, so visitors can navigate your site easily and intuitively. Think about how people will interact with each section, what actions you want them to take, and the ways you can make it a satisfying exciting experience.

Creating a blueprint is a great way to visualize the overall structure of your website, allowing you to identify key design elements and layout decisions.

 

The Power of Preparation

When it comes to website redesign, there’s plenty to do before you even “start!” By analyzing your current website, setting clear goals, budgeting effectively, preparing content, and designing with flexibility in mind, you’ll create a site that enhances your business and engages your audience.

Already have a website? Want to see how it’s doing? Click here and scroll down to the “Get Your Free Website Analysis” section, then fill it out. It looks at six different areas and gives you a rating.

Now that we’ve covered your to-do list, give us a call and we can make it a whole lot easier. Smart Link Solutions is here to guide you every step of the way. From responsive web design to reputation management and social media marketing, we offer a range of services to help your business thrive in today’s digital landscape.

Call 866 – 757 – 5100 or visit Smart Link Solutions to learn more!