Are you contemplating a website redesign? If so, let me pause you for a second. It can be a daunting task, especially if you go into it unaware. For that reason, I’ve prepare the following Do’s and Don’ts of website redesign. They should help you in your journey.

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Do Improve Performance
A website redesign is an ideal moment to improve your site’s performance.

I would suggest you start out by defining your online marketing goals. Once you have established them, take a look at the gaps between these goals and your current efforts. What did you find? It may be that your conversion rate is lower than expected. Or perhaps you need to increase the number of leads to your website.

Don’t Fall for Looks Alone
A website’s aesthetics play an important role in how your company is perceived. An attractive website can convey trustworthiness and professionalism. However, looks should not be the sole purpose of a website redesign. Keep your eyes on the marketing goals you have already set.

Do Your Homework
Before you embark on a website redesign, make sure you have the information you need to achieve your goals. Remember the following: informed decisions are the best decisions. The following is just a short list of what your research should tell you:

Where do your website visits originate from?
How many visits per month do you get?
What percentage of the visits turns into leads?
What percentage of the leads turns into customers?

Looks like it’s time to get started on your homework!

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Website hits aren’t everything. Slight dips in customer traffic are normal and shouldn’t make you panic. They will never tell you the full story of what’s happening. Focus on the more important aspects. For example, if your traffic continues to drop week after week, then you should start to worry.

Do the Numbers
It’s imperative that you have a budget in place before you even consider a website redesign. This will give you a realistic scope and timeline to your objectives. When budgeting your redesign, take in to account the size of your website, functions, performance, and more!

Do Listen
It’s important to involve all of the members of your departments on the redesign process. They can provide crucial feedback and insights. By keeping your employees in the loop, it fosters transparency and goodwill, which makes the transition to a new website much easier. Everybody wins!

Don’t Crowd the Kitchen
Remember the saying, too many cooks can spoil the broth? That same truth applies here. If you’re going to have a large number of people involved, make sure you have clearly defined roles for everybody in the redesign process. This will ensure streamlined communications and effective decision making.

Do Participate
You should have an active role in the redesign of your website. Get engaged! Your knowledge and passion are an essential ingredient to a successful redesign. It will help keep your project on task and on time.

Don’t Go Overboard
When you commit to a redesign, make sure to keep your participation balanced. It’s important to respect the value that the redesign team brings to the table. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to micromanage every aspect.

Conclusion
A website redesign should be an exciting time for you and your company. I created this list of Do’s and Don’ts to help you on your way. If and when you do decide to embark on this journey, please let me know how it goes.

As always, comments are questions are welcome!