What Is A Website Redesign?

Date First Published: 22nd January 2023

Topic: Web Design & Development

Subtopic: Web Design

Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 3/10

Learn more about what a website redesign is in this article.

A website redesign is the process of rebuilding or visually upgrading the design of a site, which includes changing the layout, format, structure, colours, and navigation, rearranging the content, or changing other things to enhance the user experience, usability, or accessibility. A website redesign is different from a relaunch as it does not change any technical properties, such as the URL or CMS.

Redesigning a website is not something that is done very often, but according to Business 2 Community, the average lifespan for a website is 1.5 to 2.5 years. This is because as design trends change and technology gets more advanced, 1.5 to 2.5 years is the average amount of time that a redesign will feel fresh and competitive.

Steps Of Redesigning A Website

The steps of redesigning a website include:

1. Determine the current performance metrics

Before planning a website redesign, always note the current performance metrics. This will help give an idea of how the website is performing and what metrics can be improved during the redesign. The performance of the website can be analysed in the following areas and the importance and relevance of the metrics may vary depending on the website redesign goals. Services, such as Google Search Console and Google Analytics can provide these metrics. The metrics can include:

• Number of visitors and number of unique visitors
• Time on website
• Bounce rate
• Dwell time
• Total pages indexed
• Number of backlinks
• Best-performing keywords in terms of rank and traffic.
• Total new leads and form submissions
• Total sales revenue

2. Determine the website redesign goals

Before redesigning a website, always think about the 'why' behind the website redesign. There should be a good reason and websites should not be redesigned for no reason. Be clear about why a redesign is taking place. Examples of goals for redesigning a website include:

• To increase the number of sales.
• To increase time on site.
• To improve domain authority.
• To enhance current SEO rankings for important keywords.
• To increase website traffic.

3. Be clear about the branding

Before redesigning a website, always be clear about the desired branding and themes. This will help to ensure consistency across a website. Consider whether the branding will stay the same or change. If planning to change it, be clear about what needs to change and why during the redesign process.

4. Start redesigning the website

Once all the performance metrics, goals, and branding is clear, it is time to start redesigning the website. Depending on the size of the website, it will take time to complete the redesign. This is the main process of redesigning a website. You can hand-code the website or use a CMS to redesign it. The software used to design, develop, and publish websites is called a content management system (CMS).

5. Test the redesigned website

>Once you have finished redesigning your website, you are ready to test your website. Before you publish it, it is always recommended to inspect it to ensure that it works properly, it has no broken links, errors in the HTML markup, design flaws, missing tags, spelling errors, and other mistakes.

6. Publish the redesigned website

This is the final step. Once you have finished redesigning the website, you are ready to publish it. If you are using FTP to upload your files, you can overwrite the old files with the new ones. It is always recommended to make a backup of your old website in case you change your mind or are unhappy with the redesigned website.

Reasons For A Website Redesign

The reasons for a website redesign include:

• Unattractive web design - A visually unattractive web design will have a negative impact on user experience and encourage users to leave within a few seconds.
• The website no longer following the current web standards - This is one of the main reasons for a redesign of a website. Websites that are outdated and no longer follow the current web standards have a negative impact on user experience and usability.
• Poor accessibility - If a website was inaccessible, a website would be difficult or impossible to use by some. It is essential for web developers and organisations to create accessible and high-quality websites and not exclude visitors from using their online services.
• Rebranding a website - If a website has greatly grown in the past few years and needs a redesign after some changes to the company culture, or simply the colour change of the brand logo, it might be time to review and rebrand the site so that it has an appropriate design. It is also important that a website has a consistent look and feel across a website with no design inconsistencies.
• Adding extra functionality to a website - As a website grows, extra functionality will need to be added to the site to fulfil the expectations and needs of new visitors.
• A change in the target audience - Sometimes, if a business releases a new product or service, the target audience might change. If that happens, a website redesign may need to take place to suit the website to the needs of the new target audience.

Benefits and Risks

Redesigning a website comes with a number of benefits. An error-free and updated design that suits the needs of users will help it stand out from the competition. However, there are also some risks of a website redesign. A poorly designed and implemented layout can lead to a decline in the number of visitors. This is why it is important to plan the redesign of a website and ensure that the redesign will not push users away from the website.