Getting Ready for a Website Redesign

After a few years, even then best website is ready for a redesign. Website design best practices and trends evolve. Web technologies are created or improved. Website content gets stale. Website navigation becomes cluttered. 

Here are five key considerations to help you plan a successful website redesign: 

1.    Business Goals

What are the business goals for your website? These can range from selling directly online to generating leads to supporting employee recruiting. Based on those goals, what performance metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) are you tracking? Assessing how your current site is performing helps in generating support for a redesign project. It can also help you make strategic decisions about design and functionality. 

2.    Features and Functionality

With your goals and metrics in mind, make a list of what is working well on your current site and what is not meeting your needs. Think about any new functionality that might be needed to meet your goals. Review your competitors’ websites and websites of other companies you benchmark, such as industry leaders. Make note of what you find effective on those sites. 

3.    Audience

To meet your goals, who do you need to use your website? Their expectations and habits will need to be considered as you make design decisions. And don’t forget about internal users! Internal users include staff who use the website to find information and staff who help edit or update the site. 

4.    Timeline and Budget

Website redesign projects can take three months or longer. Identify any external factors that might dictate a project timeline such as a product launch, tradeshow or regulatory changes and make sure you have the time and resources needed to be successful. Project budgets can vary widely depending on the amount of functionality and the complexity of the design. 

5.    Experience 

We have worked with clients to build hundreds of websites of all sizes. We understand that a website redesign project is something our clients undertake only once every three to five years (or longer). Leverage our knowledge and experience to guide you through the process and ensure your project is a success!

About the Author

Sally Schmidt
Web Solutions Consultant
Sally has 18 years’ experience researching and developing web sites and online applications. She sets the vision for projects by gathering, analyzing and defining business and functional requirements, and target audience needs and expectations. She guides decision making based on usage data and audience feedback analysis. Sally has earned the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ). Sally has wide range of experience conducting usability interviews and developing surveys, sales and customer care tools, consumer community sites, and even games for kids. She has worked with small and large organizations including IBM, NFL, Kimberly-Clark, Brady Corp., Kohler, MTV, Pentair, ThedaCare, Madison Metropolitan School District, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Eau Claire Area School District, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Spring Lake Park School District and Charter Manufacturing.