At some point, you will want to update your website. Maybe your site is outdated, maybe you are experiencing functionality issues, or maybe you are just not getting the amount of traffic you want. Regardless of the reason, it can be a daunting task. In this series, we we will outline the steps to take before, and during, a redesign to keep you sane throughout the process.
First step? Understand how your site is currently performing. If you have a way to track your site’s performance metrics (such as Google Analytics), then take a look at areas such as:
- Number of visitors
- Bounce rate
- Time on site
- Total number of lead/submission forms for the month
- Sales generated per month
Armed with this information, you can establish your redesign plan – including goals.
When setting your goals, consider why you want to change your site. Are you not getting as much traffic because your site is not mobile-friendly? Are your lead forms difficult to find? Is your current site leaving out key information on new products and services? Use your performance metrics to narrow down your changes, and really focus on the areas that need the most improvement.This can help scale down the scope of the project immensely.
Some suggest doing small, incremental changes to your site to see how that pans out with your visitors. This way, you are only changing what needs to be changed, rather than everything at once. This can also help you troubleshoot your changes. If a certain update led to a negative response, you can easily identify the cause and fix it.
Whatever your goals and preferred approach may be, it’s important to have them clearly defined before embarking on the bulk of your project.
Next up: the differences between a web developer and a web designer and how to hire the right one.
