A comprehensive guide to website redesign

Once upon a time, having a website didn’t require so much; well, it still doesn’t; however, the web space has become so competitive, and now it takes a lot to have a highly ranked and visible digital presence. Today with over two billion websites in the world, the easiest part is to actually get one for your business. The hard part is to have an effective website that supports your digital and business goal. It’s not just enough to have a website. Your website must be user-friendly, optimized for search engine, and useful to users, else it gets lost in the crowd and become another statistic with no real value for your business.

So if you’re going to have a successful online presence, you must be thinking of a modern, user-friendly web platform that reflects your brand and meets the needs of interested audience.

A website redesign can help you achieve this goal by updating the look and feel of your site, improving its usability, and optimizing it for search engines.

What is a website redesign? Do you need one? And how do you redesign your website? These and more we will find out in this article.

What is a website redesign?

A website redesign is a complete revamp of your existing digital space. This typically includes updating the look and feel of your website, making it more modern and user-friendly.

An update can involve changing the layout, updating the color scheme, adding new features, and improving the overall user experience. And it is often initiated to improve the website's performance, attract more visitors, and ultimately increase conversions.

Are you unsure about a website redesign for your business? We’ll discuss this in detail in the next section to give you better clarity. Just hang on.

Do you think you need a website redesign?

You’ve probably invested so much in creating a beautiful, functional site in the past, and you thought this was all you’ll ever need.

Wrong!

Our experts at Workee recommend that a website be revamped every 20-36 months to maintain relevance and recency.

This isn’t so hard; the tech industry, like every other industry, is continuously evolving. One-time websites were largely one-pagers and strictly text-based. Today we have websites that support various media formats and have interactive and intuitive elements. And with AI in the offing, we are only getting started as we’ve not seen the last of web innovation.

What this means is that a redesign should constantly be a part of your plan if you want to stay relevant. Web designs and features quickly get outdated as better-performing features are frequently rolled out to satisfy user needs.

Also, Google, the king of search engines, constantly updates its algorithm to first recognize better-performing and better-looking sites. This implies that if your website is outdated, you already lost visibility, as the Google algorithms may never rank or display your platform on result pages.

So if you’re still thinking if you need a website redesign, here are some key points/checklists to help you.

1. Outdated design : If your website was designed several years ago, the chances are high that it might not be as visually appealing or user-friendly as newer websites. And users' tastes adapt to the changes in design they see. A study by Stanford indicates that over 72% of users form opinions on the authenticity of a brand on the appearance of its website. So if you’re stuck in the past, you may be killing your brand reputation.

2. SEO optimization : A website redesign can also help improve your search engine optimization (SEO), which is crucial for attracting organic traffic to your website. By incorporating best practices for SEO into your website redesign, you can improve your website's visibility and attract more potential customers.

3. Poor functionality and user experience : A business might want to redesign its website because it has poor functionality. This could include issues like slow load times, dead links, or a confusing layout. In fact, 94% of users will leave a website if they encounter a frustrating user experience (UX) issue, and over 86% will never return.

4. Mobile optimization : With more and more people using their smartphones to access the internet, it's essential for businesses to have a website that's optimized for mobile devices. According to a report by Statista , mobile devices accounted for over half of all website traffic at the end of 2022. A website that isn't mobile-friendly will likely have a higher bounce rate and lower conversion rates.

Percentage of mobile device website traffic 

1. Changing business needs : As your business evolves, your website may need to reflect new products or services, updated branding, or changes to your target audience. A redesign can ensure your website accurately reflects your current business needs.

2. Branding : Finally, a website redesign can help a business improve its branding. By updating the website's design to better reflect the company's brand identity, a business can create a more cohesive and memorable brand experience for users.

Benefits of a website redesign

There are many reasons why a website redesign is beneficial. For example, your website may be outdated and not meet modern design and performance standards. It may also be difficult to navigate or slow to load, which can negatively impact the user experience. Additionally, a website redesign may be necessary to stay ahead of your competitors and keep up with changing industry trends.

First of all, a website redesign can help you stay competitive in your industry. As technology advances and user expectations evolve, it's important to keep your website up-to-date and in line with current design and usability standards.

We will discuss other benefits below.

1. Improved user experience : A website redesign can help improve the overall user journey (UX) of your website. This can include making it easier to navigate, improving the layout and design, and making it more visually appealing. A better user experience can lead to increased engagement and conversions.

2. Enhanced functionality : As users needs evolve over time, you should be able to respond these changing needs by ensuring that your web platform can attend to their request and preferences. This means adding new functionality to your website, such as new features or integrations. With this, you can better serve your customers and improve your business processes.

3. Increased visibility : A redesign can help improve the visibility of your website in search engines. This can be achieved by optimizing the site's structure, content, and keywords. By improving your search engine rankings, you can attract more traffic to your site and generate more leads.

4. Improved mobile support: With more people accessing the internet on their mobile devices, having a mobile-first website redesign is more important than ever. This can help ensure that your site looks great and functions well on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.

5. Better branding : What’s the use of a website if it doesn’t reflect your brand image and purpose? With a redesign you can update your branding and ensure that it is consistent across all of your online channels. This can help you build a stronger brand identity and improve your overall marketing efforts.

How to start a website redesign

You shouldn’t initiate a website redesign because everybody suggests it or because you rivals are doing so. You must have a purpose and an objective that is specific to your brand and your customer base. If you don’t have a brand-specific objective, you may end up wasting resources without achieving anything.

So here are some important steps on how to start a website redesign;

• Set a brand-specific objective

The first step in planning a website redesign is to set clear goals for what you want to achieve with the revamp. This might include things like improving user engagement, increasing conversion rates or updating the site's visual design. Whatever your goals are, it's important to define them clearly and make sure they align with your overall business objectives.

For instance, while you may need a mobile responsive website, you could initiate a redesign that focuses on look and design. In the end, you’ve not solved the major problem with your platform, but you would have spent some money.

Pro tip: Identity what challenges your audience and users are experiencing with using the website. You may send survey forms or simply ask them to share reviews and suggestions for improvements. This would help you set a brand-specific objective.

• Thoroughly analyze the existing state of the website.

Once you have clear goals in mind, the next step is to analyze the performance of your current website. This involves looking at metrics such as traffic, engagement, bounce rates, and conversion rates. You may also want to gather feedback from users or conduct user testing to get a better sense of how people are using your website and what aspects of the current design are working well or not.

• Research your rivals

Another important step in planning a website redesign is to research your competitors to see what they're doing well and where you can differentiate yourself. This might involve looking at their website design, content, and functionality, as well as their social media presence and overall brand positioning. By understanding what your competitors are doing, you can identify opportunities to stand out and make your website more effective.

Recommendation: Identify their best-selling or most talked about feature and improve on it. You may also identify weak points or demands and implement them on your website.

How to redesign a website- Phases of a website redesign process

If you’ve decided to redesign your website, it is important to break down the entire process into distinct phases. This helps you achieve your goal faster and more effectively. So let’s go through the phases together.

1. The planning phase: 

How do you start a website redesign?

First, you'll need to plan out your website redesign strategy. This involves identifying your goals, target audience, and desired website functionality. You'll also want to conduct a website audit to assess your current website's strengths and weaknesses. The planning phase is a crucial part of any website redesign process. It's during this phase that you'll gather information about the current website, define your goals for the new site, and create a roadmap for how you're going to achieve those goals.

Here is a typical design of the planning phase

• Define your goals : To start, it's important to define the goals of the website redesign. This could include increasing website traffic, improving user engagement, or increasing conversion rates.

• Identify your audience : Once the goals are established, the next step is to identify the target audience. Who are the primary users of the website? What are their needs and expectations? Understanding the target audience will help inform the design and content of the new website.

• Establish KPIs: Next, it's important to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure the success of the website redesign. This could include metrics such as bounce rate, time spent on the website, or conversion rates.

• Develop a project plan: When you’ve achieved the above, it's time to develop a project plan. This should include a timeline, milestones, and a list of tasks that need to be completed. It's important to assign responsibilities to team members and establish a communication plan to ensure everyone is on the same page throughout the redesign process.

Overall, the planning phase of a website redesign process is critical in setting the foundation for a successful project.

1. The design phase

The design phase is a critical part of the website redesign process. This is where the visual and interactive aspects of the website come together, and it's important to take the time to really think through the user experience and make sure that the design aligns with the overall goals of the project.

Typically, the design phase starts with wireframes, which are basic, low-fidelity representations of the website's layout and structure. These wireframes help to establish the overall framework of the website and ensure that the content is organized in a logical and intuitive way.

You'll work with a web designer to create a design that is visually appealing and meets the needs of your target audience. You might also consider a mobile-first or UX-focused approach to ensure a great user experience across devices.

Important points to note during the design phase

• Employ a user-centric approach : That means considering how the website will be used by different types of users, and designing the user interface (UI) in a way that meets their needs and expectations.

• Remember that the design phase is iterative : That means that it's normal to go through multiple rounds of revisions and refinements as the design is refined and polished. It's important to take the time to get the design right, and to make sure that it aligns with the overall goals of the project.

1. The development phase

During the development phase, the website's backend and frontend components are built, and any necessary integrations are put in place. This typically involves a team of developers working closely with the web designers to ensure that the website is developed according to the desired design and functionality requirements.

Throughout the development process, the team will be testing the website to ensure that it's working properly and that there are no bugs or issues. This might involve using automated testing tools or manual testing by the development team or the client.

Finally, once the website is complete and has been thoroughly tested, it's time to launch! This usually involves migrating the new website to the live server and performing any necessary configurations to ensure that everything is working properly.

1. Launch!

The launch phase is a critical step in the overall process. It's the point where all the hard work that's gone into the redesign starts to pay off, and your new website becomes visible to the public.

There are a few key things to keep in mind during the launch phase.

• Plan for launch: First and foremost, it's important to have a clear plan in place for the launch. This should include things like a launch date, a plan for migrating content from the old site to the new one, and a strategy for promoting the new site to your audience.

• Test before launch: Another important aspect of the launch phase is testing. Before you launch the new site, it's important to thoroughly test it to ensure that everything is working correctly. This includes things like checking all the links, testing forms and other interactive elements, and making sure that the site is optimized for all the major browsers and devices.

• Let the world know about the new features: it's time to promote it to your audience. This might include things like sending out an email newsletter to your subscribers, promoting the new site on social media, and reaching out to other websites and blogs to let them know about the redesign.

• Monitor and track performance: It's also important to monitor the site closely after the launch to make sure that everything is running smoothly. This includes checking analytics data to see how users are interacting with the new site, responding to any feedback or issues that arise, and making adjustments as needed to optimize the user experience.

Expert tip: As you approach the launch of your new website, it's important to keep SEO in mind. You don't want to lose any of your hard-earned search engine rankings! To avoid this, make sure your new website has the same or improved URL structure, metadata, and content. You might also want to consider a website migration plan to ensure a seamless transition.

How to redesign a website without losing SEO

Search engine optimization is very critical for your website visibility and overall performance. Workee SEO experts will be sharing tips on how to redesign a website without losing SEO.

1. Conduct a thorough site audit: Before making any changes to your website, it's important to conduct a site audit to identify any existing SEO issues. This will help you address these issues before you begin the redesign process. You can use a variety of tools to conduct a site audit, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and SEMrush.

2. Keep your existing URL structure: One of the biggest mistakes you can make when redesigning your website is to change your URL structure. This can cause major problems for your SEO, as it can result in broken links and lost search engine rankings. Make sure to keep your existing URL structure intact, or if you must change it, make sure to redirect your old URLs to your new ones.

3. Focus on content optimization: When redesigning your website, focus on optimizing your content for search engines. This means using keywords and phrases strategically throughout your content, as well as optimizing your titles, descriptions, and headings. Make sure to also include alt tags for all images on your website.

4. Use a responsive design: In today's world, having a website that is mobile-friendly is essential for SEO. Make sure to use a responsive design that adapts to all screen sizes, including smartphones and tablets.

5. Test, test, test: Before launching your redesigned website, make sure to test it thoroughly to identify any SEO issues. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Mobile-Friendly Test to identify any issues and make the necessary changes.

In summary, redesigning your website can be a great way to improve its look and functionality. However, it's important to keep SEO in mind throughout the process. 

Cost to redesign a website

Redesigning a website can be a significant undertaking, and it's natural to wonder about the cost of such a project. The cost of redesigning a website can vary widely depending on a variety of factors, such as the size and complexity of the website, the level of customization required, and the level of expertise and experience of the web design team.

1. Website size and complexity

The size and complexity of the website are perhaps the most significant factors in determining the cost of a redesign. A smaller website with a simple design and a few pages may cost less than a larger, more complex website with multiple pages, complex functionality, and custom design elements.

1. Customization and functionality

Customization and functionality requirements can also significantly impact the cost of a website redesign. If your website requires custom design elements, such as unique graphics or animations, or specific functionality such as a custom checkout process or integration with a third-party platform, you can expect to pay more for those features.

1. Content migration

Another factor that can affect the cost of a website redesign is content migration. If you have a significant amount of content on your existing website, it may need to be migrated to the new design. This can be a time-consuming process, and web design teams may charge an additional fee for this service.

1. Expertise and experience

Finally, the level of expertise and experience of the web design team can also impact the cost of a website redesign. An experienced team with a strong track record of delivering high-quality results may charge more than a less experienced team, but it's important to keep in mind that you often get what you pay for when it comes to web design.

So, how much does it cost to redesign a website? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. The cost of a website redesign can range from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the factors we've discussed.

However, various sources have highlighted the average cost just to provide an idea of what is to be expected. WebFX suggests a website redesign may cost between $3000 and $75,000. DIY and in-house solutions may cost much less.

According to our research at Workee, below is a table to give you insights on the expected cost.

The information presented in the table above is not the ultimate; you could spend more or less; this is only to give you an idea.

Recommendation: if you’re a freelancer or an independent professional looking to launch a website at no extra cost, then you should head on to Workee.net to create a branded, no-code business website. The fun part is you’ll get your website up and running in one minute or less. All you need to do is to create an account on Workee by clicking here. 

Conclusion

Website redesign is crucial to maintaining a modern, effective online presence. It can help improve your website's credibility, functionality, and user experience, making it more attractive to potential customers. It can also improve your website's SEO, leading to increased traffic and conversions. So, if you haven't updated your website in a while, now is the time to start planning a redesign.

FAQS

What is a website redesign?

A website redesign is a complete revamp of your existing digital space. This typically includes updating the look and feel of your website, making it more modern and user-friendly. 

Why should I consider redesigning my website?

There are several reasons you may want to consider redesigning your website; these include; an outdated website, changing business needs or focus, search engine optimization, mobile optimization, etc. You may also choose to implement a UX-focused website redesign.

How can I start planning a website redesign?

Start by setting a brand-specific objective, analyze the existing state of your website to identify areas for improvements, research your competitors to give you a clearer idea of what you should do, and finally, identify users' needs and expectations.

What are the key stages of a website redesign process?

The redesign process includes four critical phases, and they include; the planning phase, the design phase, the development phase, and the launch phase.