In the digital world, things change almost daily. Google keeps updating its algorithm and newer technology like voice search changes how people find your business. Today’s websites need to be super- fast, mobile-friendly, user-friendly, fully-optimized, and content-heavy. Your site also needs to look good. Just as clothing styles change, so does website design. How well is your site meeting these challenges? We recommend that you go through our Website Redesign Checklist and see if your site could benefit from an update.
Website Redesign Checklist
We break the redesign process down into three stages.
- Discovery and Planning
- Design and Development
- Content and Marketing
Website Redesign Checklist: Discovery and Planning
First, you need to know how well your site performs under the hood. The best way to find loading problems is to use the Pingdom Website Speed Test. Their analysis is free and shows you if your website is running slow,
The second thing you need to check is if your site is mobile-friendly. Speed and how your site performs on mobile have become crucial to how you rank on Google. One way to determine if your website needs to be more mobile-friendly is through the use of Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Another thing you should think about is integration. Do you have mailing lists set up to collect leads? What about contact forms and automated responses? Is your site integrated with your social media? All these components should work together as if they were part of the same body.
After giving careful consideration to how well your site functions, it is time to look at the goals for your site.
- What part does your website play in your overall business model?
- Who are your primary clients? Your secondary clients?
- What are the stages of their buyer journey?
- Are there niche markets you wish to explore?
- Do you have offline marketing to complement your online marketing?
- Have you determined your unique value proposition?
Once you know what your goals are, then you can move to the next Stage of Your Website Redesign.
Website Redesign Checklist: Design and Development
Everyone knows when it is time to update a kitchen or a living room. Usually, the shag carpet, wallpaper, and avocado appliances are key indicators that you need to redecorate. The same applies to your website. Keep it current and fresh. Make sure your images don’t look dated, and your content is evergreen. Check your links. Are they still valid?
What about the overall design? Do you like the colors? The font? Have you considered adding a video or a scrolling overlay to your homepage? Look around the web and find website layouts that appeal to you. Then, evaluate them in regards to what you clients would like. Once you have ideas in mind, you can share them with your web designer. We even offer a free mock-up of your site so that you can see exactly what it might look like with updates.
Once you’ve decided on a web design, then it’s time to update the code. If you think of the web design as the face, then the code is the brain inside. Updated programming increases functionality and also creates the beautiful web pages your client’s see.
Website Redesign Checklist: Content and Marketing
A site falls into one of two categories. It is where you do business, or it promotes your company. Either way, marketing your website is crucial for it to be effective.
The goal of marketing is exposure. You want to reach as many potential clients as possible. That means you need to rank high in the search results.
Adding content to your website is one of the primary ways to improve your Google rank. SEO strategies drive traffic and improve the user experience. If you don’t have a blog, then that should be one of the main components of a website redesign.
A website redesign should also include landing page optimization and local optimization.
Yes! My Website Needs a Facelift.
If after going through the Website Redesign Checklist, you came to the realization that it’s time for an update, we can help. Contact us so we can discuss your needs. We then prepare your Free Mock-Up and show you the possibilities. There is no risk for you.