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The redesign operations for any site starts with a lot of planning and strategizing. But more often than not, these practices do not bring in expected results. What might be the reason for that? The main problem is the fact that most of the time clients come in with the idea that web design and web redesign are the same processes. The familiarity with one assures them of familiarity with another process, and that produces problems. There is a sharp variation within website redesign challenge and normal design challenges. Both procedures are very contrasting from the inside. And that’s why I with my team have created this guide that intends to clear out the confusion and provide an in-depth understanding of how to redesign a website.
Take Stock Of Your Website
This is the thing about redesigning your website– it starts with an already existing and functional site. It is not a ‘build-from-the-scratch’ mission, rather ‘fix-the-problematic-area’ mission. And to do it right, the site has to be inspected first. And that’s why this is the first step of this website redesign guide. You’ll find plenty of issues when inspecting the site. These areas undoubtedly need to be fixed. Now based on the website, you’ll find various issues. During my experience in running a web design company in New York, I have gathered information that can help you make the decision the right way. Here is a list of some basic complications that happen to every site.
A. Lack Of Parallelity
Every business has a unique identity. And the design needs to reflect it seamlessly. A lot of business owners looking for affordable website design forget to count in the matter of business identity. And then disaster ensues. Even though initially your site matched with business identity, later on, it might not. The identity of the business can change as it grows, and the site design needs to change accordingly as well. So take a look at the site and consider if it matches the business identity. If it doesn’t, then it is time to change it.
B. Where Are The Results?
There are plenty of reasons for a business to have a site. From escalating revenue generation to getting traffics. But at the end of the day, only one goal matters, and that is- to make the business more successful. So when analyzing the old website, ask if the website bringing in the kind of result expected? If not, then put the site through inspection and pinpoint the problem. This is going to be an important part of the entire website redesign strategy.
C. The Relevancy Of The Design
Web design is evolving every day. The modern website design trends change regularly, and most successful ones out there are keeping up without any problem. If the site was designed in early 2010 and carrying the same design since then, it’s high time for a redesign. Backdated designs cause both aesthetic issues and technical issues, rendering the site unusable.
D. Issue With Engagement
A good website is always appealing to its users. When considering a website redesign think about whether the website is attracting the users. Inspect the web content, images, information structure of the website. If it is failing to engage and excite the visitors, then it is time to change it all.
E. The Bounce Rate Dilemma
This issue puts a lot of sites in jeopardy. The more people leave as soon as they enter the site, the bigger problem will be. There can be plenty of reasons for users to desert the site. These reasons can range from misleading page content to slow website. Whatever it might be, the website analysis stage can determine these reasons and help in finding solutions.
Outline The Website Redesign You Want
Website redesign fixes the problems of the site as well as adds more elements to it. This is the time to consider the ingredients that make a perfect site is like and include those elements on the website. The process won’t work without a clear action plan. After acquiring the basic idea of what needs to be changed, go on and list out what needs to be added to the websites. The requirements might be different based on the type of trade. but the basic requirements for a successful website remain the same. And if the website is lacking any of these, then add it to the list of requirements ASAP.
A. Well Planned Page Architecture
Every page needs to follow an architectural pattern necessary to help site visitors find the right information. This architecture is based on a lot of research and visitor behavior on the page.
Hiring a website redesign company for this matter is going to be the best way to proceed. With proper help, it will be easier to understand how the demographic has changed and what kind of IA they prefer on web pages. The structure of the information on the page can always be improved for better results.
B. Website Navigation: The Smoother The Better
This element is important to provide users with a clear way of finding information on the site. Done perfectly, it also assists the site to perform well among the search results. It works with the user intuition to provide them with a streamlined path to information on the site. There’s always room for improvement, and even if the website has a functional navigational flow, it can be improved upon. While analyzing, compare the entire flow of wayfinding on the site with other sites in the industry. This comparison will help to understand what is lacking in the site’s navigation. This is going to be a much-needed addition to your website redesign strategy.
C. Does Your Website Have The Client’s Trust?
No business functions without having their client’s trust. And when it comes to earning the trust of the clients, content is a key player.
The content of the website assists in convincing the people about the quality and authenticity of the work. The redesign is going to be the perfect time to do a content analysis, and then change them up to gain the client’s trust.
As far as content marketing strategy is concerned, striking a balance between topical and evergreen pieces is the key to success. A combination of trending time-sensitive articles and quality evergreen posts is necessary for engaging the viewers and earning their trust in your business.
D. Conversion funnel (including placements of CTAs)
Every site exists to alter visitors into clients. There is a clear flow of path to this transformation and it is visualized as a funnel, and hence why the name Conversion funnel.
There are four steps to this- awareness, interest, design, and action. It is an automated system designed to attract and transform potential clients. There’s no need for any manual action if the site already consists of a clear path of transformation for clients. The website redesign process is the perfect time to understand how to integrate this automated system to get, maximum clients.
The Action Stage
Nothing changes without action. Even the previous two steps, necessary for the redesign would not work if the right actions are not taken. A lot of times problems appear at this stage due to the lack of knowledge on how to proceed through this project. Here is a list of actions you need to take in order to ensure that the redesign process becomes successful.
A. Choosing The Right Team to Plan Your Website Redesign
Having the right team for the website redesigning process is absolutely crucial. Whether it is an in house designers and developers, of hiring an agency, the team needs to have the right players. Here is a list of professional website designers and other professionals needed for the entire project-
- Digital strategist: this is the member of the team who will define the whole strategy to transform visitors for the redesigned site.
- Information architect: the team member who will build the right structure to present information to the end-user as well as build an overall structure to help the user find the way through the website.
- UX designer: this person will take all the input from the above-mentioned people and then create a site that is designed for maximum levels of efficiency on the website.
A lot of clients come in thinking that only a designer is needed for the redesign. The fact remains that it is the very last task. The above team members will conduct crucial tasks, such as market analysis, brand study, etc. The designer will build based on this research.
B. Aim High With Proper Planning for Website Redesign
Every site is built with different objectives in mind that are subjected to change over time. And the site needs to reflect this change perfectly. During the redesign process, it is necessary to evaluate the previous goals and then change them when necessary. The changes occur depending on client demographic, changing industry scenarios, and the size of the business. It’s crucial to consult local website designer before redefining the objectives and diving deeper into the process.
C. A Fictional Persona To Understand The Requirments
Once the goals are set, it’s time for you and the website redesign services you’ve hired to think and imagine a client persona. This is essential for understanding the demographic, its needs, and how to best cater to it.
Here is a list of information required for this step-
- Name
- Age
- Address,
- Reasons for accessing the internet
- How they access the internet
- What devices are used
- Behavior on the internet (including the type of websites they search for, the kind of things they buy, etc)
- Their needs, frustration, and motivation
This stage assists with redesigning the site interface. This ensures a memorable encounter with the site for the visitors and makes them come back again and again.
D. Time To Finalize The Product
The final step is the culmination of all the research and tasks you’ve done till now. All the results and statistics collected go into the design phase, which can be divided into a few steps. The design phase is divided into four parts. And sure these often overlap but having clear and precise knowledge can ensure that the website redesign process ends successfully.
- Wireframe creation
This is the first stage. It is when the skeleton frame of the site is built, depending on the information on IA, navigations best practices, etc.
- Content creation
Once the wireframing is done, comes the content creation stage. This stage is based heavily on the research and analysis data from previous stages. All content is aimed at impressing and gaining the trust of the visitors.
- Designing the UI
At this stage, the interface of the site is revamped. Using the research information and modern website design trends, the site interface is updated, then handed over to the developers for development.
- Development
This is the last point. Once the site is finalized through coding and programming, it goes in for a final check for bugs and other problems. Once these are smoothened out, the site can go live for the users. And that’s about it, the entire procedure of reconstructing the design. But before concluding, here is an extra advice section- the errors to dodge during this process.
Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs
When it comes to redesigning your website there are a few errors that can be extremely harmful. Keep an eye open throughout the procedure so that none of these errors happen to the site.
A. Not Testing The Website Before Launch
Not testing the site before launching is a grave error to make. Once the site is done developing, put it through the testing procedure in order to determine that it reaches all the necessary goals.
B. Not Integrating A Sitemap
The sitemap of a site helps the bots to scan it. It is important to improve the navigation of the site, as well as for improving site rankings.
C. Spending Budget Yet Unnecessary Integrations
The ordinary misconception about the entire operation often leads the clientele to blow the budget over unnecessary integrations on the site believing that it is going to help it to be successful. However, this only increases the web redesign cost and produces problems. So frame the budget carefully before starting the operation.
Wrapping Up
Different kinds of clients perceive web redesign in different ways. Some consider it to be incredibly daunting, while some think of it in a lightweight manner. No matter what, the right moves in redesign operation is crucial for the success of the site. If there are any more queries left on how to redesign a website, then don’t hesitate, just send us a mail. We’ll be happy to help.
