10 Things You Need To Do Before Your Website Redesign: A Checklist :
Introduction
Planning a website redesign is an exciting but challenging process. There are many things to consider, from the user experience (UX) to the visual design. Making sure you cover all your bases before you start the redesign process is crucial to ensuring a smooth and successful launch.
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of 10 things you need to do before your website redesign. This checklist covers everything from auditing your current website to setting objectives for your redesign. By following these steps, you can be sure that your redesign will be a success!
Define your goals
Website redesign is a crucial step for any business or organization that wants to improve its online presence and achieve its goals. However, before beginning a website redesign, it is essential to set achievable objectives that align with the organization’s overall goals and vision.
The first step in defining your goals for a website redesign is to identify the specific problems or challenges that your current website is facing. This could be anything from outdated design, poor navigation, slow loading times, low traffic, low conversion rates, or any other issues that are hindering your website’s performance.
Once you have identified the problems, you need to set achievable objectives that address them. For example, if your website has low traffic, your objective could be to increase the number of visitors by 50% within six months of launching the new website. Similarly, if your website has a high bounce rate, your objective could be to decrease the bounce rate by 20% within three months of launch.
Research your audience
User research can take many forms, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or even analyzing website analytics. This research will help you identify user pain points and frustrations, as well as understand user motivations and goals when interacting with your website.
Using the insights gained from user research, you can then design an experience that is tailored to your audience’s needs and preferences. This includes factors such as site navigation, content layout, messaging, visual design, and more. By designing an experience that resonates with your audience, you can increase engagement, improve user satisfaction, and ultimately drive conversions.
It is important to note that user research should be an ongoing process, not just a one-time activity. User behavior and preferences can change over time, and it is important to stay up-to-date with these changes in order to ensure that your website continues to meet the needs of your audience.
Research the competition
Competitor research is an essential part of the website redesign process. By analyzing your competitors’ websites, you can gain valuable insights into what is working and what isn’t in your industry. This information can help you make more informed design decisions and position your website to stand out from the competition.
There are several things to look for when analyzing your competitors’ websites. First, consider their design and layout. Look at how they use color, typography, and imagery to create a visual experience. Take note of any unique design elements or features that they use, and consider how you can incorporate similar elements into your own website.
Next, consider their content strategy. Look at the type of content they are creating, such as blog posts, videos, or podcasts, and consider how this content is being used to engage users and drive conversions. Look at the tone and voice of their messaging, and consider how you can create a similar tone that resonates with your own audience.
Finally, consider their user experience. Analyze their website navigation, layout, and overall usability. Look for any pain points or frustrations that users may experience, and consider how you can create a more streamlined and intuitive user experience.
Understand what makes your site unique
Understanding what makes your website unique is an essential part of the website redesign process. It’s important to identify what sets your website apart from the competition and how you can use those unique features to your advantage.
To start, consider your website’s value proposition. What is it that you offer that no one else does? What makes your website the go-to destination for your target audience? Consider the products or services you offer, the benefits you provide, and the problems you solve for your users. This will help you identify the unique features and attributes that make your website stand out.
Once you’ve identified what makes your website unique, you can use this information to guide your design decisions. For example, you may want to highlight your unique selling points prominently on your homepage or create a custom feature that sets you apart from the competition. By focusing on these unique features, you can create a website that truly stands out from the competition and resonates with your target audience.
Define your visual style
Defining your visual style is a crucial part of the website redesign process. It involves creating a design style guide that will inform all of your design decisions and ensure that your website has a cohesive look and feel.
To begin, research current trends in web design and identify the ones that align with your brand’s personality and messaging. Consider things like typography, color palette, iconography, and imagery. You want to create a visual style that reflects your brand’s personality and resonates with your target audience.
Once you’ve identified the visual elements that will make up your website’s design style, create a design style guide that outlines how each element should be used. This guide will serve as a reference point for all of your design decisions and will ensure that your website has a consistent and cohesive look and feel.
Decide on your Content
There are many aspects to content to consider when redesigning your website. Make sure you decide on the layout of your pages, the type and amount of content to include, and how you’ll optimize your content for SEO. You should also consider how you’ll manage content going forward, and which platforms or tools you’ll use. Before starting your website redesign, you’ll have a clearer picture of what content you need to create, how it should be organized and presented, and how to optimize it for search engines. This will make the design process more efficient and ensure that your website’s content is engaging, relevant, and optimized for SEO.
Map out your Navigation
When creating your navigation system, it’s crucial to ensure that it’s intuitive and easy to follow. Users should be able to navigate your site with ease and find what they’re looking for quickly. It’s also essential to keep your navigation consistent throughout the website. Use clear and concise labeling for each navigation item, and make sure that each item is placed in a logical order.
To enhance user engagement, consider innovative ways to make your navigation more engaging. You could use dropdown menus, mega-menus, or sticky navigation to keep users engaged and encourage them to explore more of your website’s content. You can also use calls to action (CTAs) in your navigation to prompt users to take specific actions, such as signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase.
Create a Sitemap
Before you start the design process, it’s important to create a sitemap. This involves outlining all the pages and sections of your website that you will include in the redesign. This process helps you to identify any gaps in your content and ensure that all necessary pages are included in the redesign.
When creating your sitemap, it’s important to consider the hierarchy of your content. Start with your homepage and then create subpages and sections that are linked to it. Group related pages together to create a logical flow and make it easy for users to navigate your website.
Once you have created your sitemap, you can use it as a guide for both the development and design process. The sitemap will help developers to understand the structure of your website and ensure that all pages are included in the development process. Designers can use the sitemap to create wireframes and design concepts that align with the structure of your website.
Wireframe your Pages
To wireframe your pages, start by sketching out the basic layout and structure of each page. This can be done by hand or using specialized wireframing software. Focus on the placement of key elements such as headers, footers, navigation menus, and content areas. Consider how these elements will be displayed on different screen sizes and devices.
Once you have a basic wireframe, it’s important to conduct user testing with prototypes. Prototyping involves creating a basic, interactive version of your wireframe that allows users to navigate through the website as they would in the final product. This will give you valuable insights into how users interact with your website and help you identify any usability issues or areas for improvement.
During user testing, pay attention to how users navigate through your website, where they get stuck, and where they have difficulty finding information. Use this feedback to make adjustments to your wireframes and refine your design.
Prepare for Launch
After you’ve designed and developed your website, it’s time to launch. Before you do that, make sure you check all elements on the website and that everything is working as it should. Ensure that you do an SEO audit to optimize your pages and that you have a plan in place for testing and measuring the success of the redesign.
Conclusion:
A website redesign can be a daunting task, so make sure you have a comprehensive plan in place before you start. Use this checklist to help you cover all the bases and ensure a successful launch. Following this list will make sure that your website redesign is an enjoyable and rewarding experience!
