A guide to website redesign: (Kinda) everything you need to know

Even if your business has made some pretty sound design decisions up until now, so many companies eventually reach a point where their website design no longer aligns with where the business is going to, or their efforts to create a stronger digital experience becomes more and more limited.

Whatever has led you here, it’s clear that your website needs have likely evolved, so it might be high time to consider a website redesign. But how do you know when it’s time for a major redesign or a bit of a refresh? In the following post, we’ll uncover the main reasons you might need to redesign your website.

But first, the basics:

What actually constitutes a website redesign?

In the broadest sense, a website redesign is a process that involves maaaaajorly overhauling the content, format, structure, design and functionality of an existing website.

This is usually done for a few reasons, including improving UX components, aligning with branding, or updating outdated technology. Some organizations might choose to make this move as part of a larger digital transformation project. It can also entail switching your content from a monolithic CMS to a headless, or headless-hybrid platform, like Optimizely CMS.

Signs that you should redesign your website

The road to a website redesign is different for everyone, but there are some common challenges and opportunities that lead a company to consider redesigning their website. As you’re probably all too aware, a site redesign that can be a very costly process involving a shedload of your team’s time, energy and resources, so it’s not a decision to take lightly.

Your website strategy, in general, is not something you should throw together on a whim. It requires research, patience and vision to pull off successfully, and when done right, the results can be game-changing. With that semi-long-winded caveat out of the way, let’s take a quick look at some of the reasons why you should consider redesigning your website:

• Your website’s looking a little long in the tooth: These days, even the swishiest of websites can quickly start to look outdated. After all, nothing ever stays bang on trend for very long. If your last website redesign was more than a couple of years ago and has remained pretty much untouched since, you’re starting to feel a tad envious of your competitors’ website designs, consider this a sign it’s time for a revamp.
• Your user experience just ain’t cutting it: Even the most stunning-looking website will be of no use to you if visitors are struggling to use it. An overly cluttered nav, user journeys peppered with dead ends, competing CTAs all over the shop, barely readable text, are all major problems. You could already be painfully aware your website UI is lagging behind after getting some complaints from customers. Some of the more subtle signs of poor usability include a super short time on page (we’re talking a matter of seconds), as well as seeing a respectable volume of traffic, but little to no leads or conversions.
• You’ve recently rebranded: A website redesign is a golden opportunity to bring your site’s visual identity more in line with your current brand positioning.
• Your business needs have evolved: Not to go all Ross from Friends on you, but we all love a good pivot. If your company’s service offerings have changed or expanded, you’re moving into new markets, or just completely rejigged your business objectives, a rebrand and redesign might well be called for.
• You’re seeing performance issues: Maybe your traffic has suddenly fallen off a cliff, or your bounce rate is trending in the totally wrong direction (womp, womp). Or maybe you’re experiencing a drop in conversions (where people seem to be able to actually find your website but have zero interest in doing what you want them to do when they land on there).
• Your website is mobile responsive, but absolutely riddled with bugs: If you’re seeing a much worse performance on mobile when compared to your desktop version, or Google Search Console has been sending endless alerts about usability issues on mobile, then these can be resolved over the course of a redesign.
• Your software isn’t doing the job anymore: As much as we all love a good ✨ aesthetic ✨, a website redesign isn’t all about surface-level stuff. A redesign is as good a time as any to look at the tech you’ve got at your disposal, from your website builder to your content management system and third-party integrations, and assess whether there are new platforms that could help you get your site where you want it to go.
• Your competition is giving you a serious case of the green-eyed monster: The second you start lusting after the competitions' websites (and feel a tad shame about the state of your own), it might be high time to consider a rejig of yours. You can also do some competitive research on your competitors’ performance online, using a tool like Semrush to assess their traffic, rankings and backlinks, to validate whether your gut feel is just that, or whether their site is truly leaving yours in the dust.

The ultimate checklist to redesign your website

Let’s go over the seven stages you’ll go through when redesigning your website: 

1. Assess your website in its current state

   Take things back to basics, with a good old-fashioned deep delve into your existing site. Look at some of the performance metrics we covered earlier. Some questions to ask include:
   • Is the site nav intuitive?
   • How fast are our important pages loading?
   • Is the content we’ve got still relevant?
   • How are we ranking on Google?
   Heatmaps and session recordings are a great way to suss out what’s happening in terms of users on your site. Or, you could directly source feedback on your current design from your target audience.

2. Define your KPIs

   Before you go in all guns blazing, it’s important nail down exactly why you want to redesign your website. If you’re a bit flummoxed on this front, you can always pull on industry and your user persona research.The aim here is to define exactly what it is you want to get out of the redesign. Are you looking to increase conversions, or just modernize the look and feel of the site? Or both (and much, much more)? Get as specific as possible about what your goals are. The more specific you can be, the easier you’ll be able to make sound decisions when it comes to the implementation stage.And here’s where we’ll hit you with the dreaded “S” word: yep, we’re talking those pesky stakeholders. Please, we beg of you, don’t forget to loop in marketing, IT, and your leadership team. You need everyone involved on the same page so you can be confident the final product meets everyone’s needs.

3. Calculate the cost of your website redesign

   We’re not going to sugar coat it, things can get real spenny, real fast. Every website redesign will have substantial costs and resources associated with it. For example, organizations who are looking to migrate their CMS in tandem with the redesign need to consider the cost of the new solution they’re moving to. It’ll also depend on whether you go with an in-house team or a professional agency. Other factors that’ll escalate your costs include custom integrations and extra marketing functionality.

4. Plan your timeline

   A full-pelt website redesign typically takes anywhere from three to six months. Here’s a sample breakdown: 
   
   📅 Planning and strategy: 4 – 6 weeks
   🎨 Design: 6 – 10 weeks
   🛠️ Development: 6 – 12 weeks
   🧪 Testing and relaunch: 2 – 4 weeks
   
   Always plan for a little bit of wiggle room on the project timeline — delays are pretty much an inevitability.
   
   And keep in mind a website redesign will have a short-term impact on your business. While you can look forward to better performance over time, that return on your investment will take a little time to come to fruition. You need to factor in any potential downtime and the knock-on effects on current website projects that are planned or already in flight. Check in with marketing and product, for example, on whether certain campaigns or new feature releases will need to be moved out to allow time for the redesign.

5. Assemble your dream team

   Approaching your site redesign as a team, including product owners, content creators, SEO specialists, designers and developers, is key to ensuring the success of the project. Clear roles and collaboration ensure the redesign process runs smoothly and meets all business objectives.

6. Assess your tech stack

   Evaluate your current technology, including your CMS, plugins, and integrations. If you’ve uncovered any limitations to these, then there’s no better time to switch to a new platform that better supports the more modern design, security, and scalability requirements your website needs.

7. Audit your content

   Get your content and SEO team to assess all of your existing content for relevance, accuracy, and performance. The aim here should be to identify content gaps, outdated information, or pages aren’t performing. A website redesign is as good a time as any to polish up your SEO strategies, update keywords, and create new, engaging content that helps you hit your goals.

New website, who dis? 💅

A successful website redesign takes effort, but the rewards are well worth it. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you’ll create a website that serves as a powerful platform for showcasing your brand, connecting with your audience, and achieving your online goals.