Indicators it is time to redesign your web site [+ 15 steps to follow]

I by no means thought I wanted a web site redesign technique till I misplaced search visitors and the income it introduced. That was in 2022, once I had a number of web sites producing earnings through affiliate commissions. Again then, you can have an “ugly” web site and nonetheless rank nicely in search.

However not anymore.

At the moment, your web site wants extra than simply content material. To seem in search engine outcomes, web sites should stability person expertise, model readability, web site construction, safety, and technical infrastructure. And I’ll say that’s truthful, as a result of prospects anticipate nothing much less from a enterprise they belief.

In reality, in response to a examine, 75% of holiday makers resolve if a web site is credible based mostly on how the content material is offered. In case your web site is experiencing a excessive bounce charge, a drop in conversions, declining visitors, or different points, you may want a redesign technique.

Under is every thing you should know.

Desk of Contents

For instance, should you’re simply tweaking the font, colours, or structure of your homepage, that’s a web site refresh. On this observe, I’d recommend utilizing HubSpot’s AI Web site Generator to shortly reimagine your homepage, create a prototype, and draw inspiration. All you should do is describe what you are promoting, the type you need, and the instrument’s generative AI will do the heavy lifting.

Indicators You Want a Web site Redesign

Typically, you should revamp your total web site to remain related, particularly in as we speak’s fast-paced digital panorama.

Even when your web site nonetheless seems presentable, some type, content material, and options could have develop into outdated. For instance, results like typewriter and parallax have been trending round 2019, however many manufacturers go for a minimalist structure nowadays.

For those who’re not sure whether or not you should redesign your web site, use these questions as a information.

• Are you seeing a large drop in impressions, visitors, and conversions?
• Do your webpages take a very long time to load?
• Do customers wrestle to navigate to their vacation spot pages simply?
• Has your model developed past the present design, type, and voice?
• Is your web site insecure from rising threats?
• Does your target market wrestle to seek out your net content material on search engines like google and AI platforms?

A “sure” to a lot of the questions typically requires a redesign, as a result of, in my expertise, there are not any shortcuts to revitalize a web site that’s failing in lots of facets. Additionally, as a rule, a number of points are correlated, which implies you’ll be able to’t repair one with out addressing the opposite.

Let’s say that what you are promoting has grown and is adopting new model values. Likelihood is, the present colour, content material, and elegance now not match your model’s new id. A model and net content material mismatch, then, will undermine the viewers’s belief, leading to decreased dwell time and conversion charge.

There are not any strict guidelines about web site redesign. That mentioned, some greatest practices, when utilized in a deliberate sequence, show you how to keep away from errors that may be pricey to repair.

Under, I share the steps I exploit to revamp my web site.

1. Audit your web site.

Earlier than you kickstart the redesign course of, analyze your present web site. It’s necessary to know what’s working and what wants enchancment. In any other case, you may find yourself repeating the identical non-performing aspect, or worse, errors, when redesigning your web site.

Belief me — it’s painful to seek out out that the revamped web site isn’t any higher than the earlier one, particularly after paying handsomely for it. I made that mistake as soon as when working my engineering enterprise. Again then, I had no clue {that a} web site might be such a strong lead generator, and one which I shouldn’t revamp and not using a plan.

So, go to your analytics and observe down these metrics.

• Site visitors acquisition. Be taught the place your guests come from, together with their demographics, medium, and the touchdown pages they land on. Realizing these metrics helps you prioritize particular channels and content material when redesigning the web site.
• Bounce charge. A excessive bounce charge is a purple flag that guests are usually not discovering what they need from particular net pages.
• Search efficiency. Be aware of the top-performing key phrases and net pages in your web site. Be conscious when remodeling content material, as you don’t need the brand new web site to endure a decline in search rankings.
• Conversion charge. A few of your touchdown pages could be efficient in capturing leads. Notice down the framework, copywriting, and design used and replicate that within the new design.
• Income. Some companies, equivalent to ecommerce and retail websites, flip guests into paying prospects with product pages. Much like touchdown pages, analyze what’s working nicely and leverage the findings when rebuilding the web site.

2. Decide your redesign objectives.

I need to remind you that web site redesign isn’t a minor process. Usually, you should make investments time, effort, and cash to revamp your web site. So, ask your self — what are the outcomes you need to obtain along with your web site?

Usually, corporations revamp their web sites for these causes:

• To extend search visitors.
• To extend dwell time.
• To extend certified leads.
• To enhance conversion charge.
• To extend orders and income.

I do know that some enterprise homeowners are tempted to revamp a web site only for the sake of doing so. Mild recommendation: Don’t. It’s because should you don’t tie your web site redesign to quantifiable objectives, you gained’t be capable of measure its success later.

3. Analysis your viewers.

A profitable web site reboot depends on viewers insights. For those who’re conscious of their preferences, navigation habits, and the way they eat info, you’ll be able to keep away from design blind spots and misguided assumptions.

So, attain out to your target market and ask for his or her opinion. Higher nonetheless, create one or a number of personas you need to goal. Then, allow them to discover your web site and inform you what’s working and what’s not working.

For instance, I’m presently revamping my private web site, which presents web optimization content material creation companies, and I’ve reached out to advertising and marketing managers to assemble suggestions.

However don’t cease right here.

If potential, map the persona to a buyer journey so as to construction your web site accordingly. For instance, a advertising and marketing supervisor may not instantly interact my companies. Subsequently, I funnel them to an e mail publication and nurture them.

Professional tip: Some companies goal a number of personas, which might be difficult to manually create. Try HubSpot’s helpful purchaser persona builder that can assist you create detailed purchaser personas.

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4. Outline your branding and messaging.

A web site bridges the hole between what you are promoting and its prospects, which requires a fascinating and relatable expertise. Subsequently, keep away from utilizing generic design templates as-is.

As a substitute, your web site ought to mirror your model by the selection of colours, fonts, messaging, and structure. Be it your brand, blogs, or product pages, be constant when aligning them along with your model.

For instance, should you’re working a tech startup that pitches merchandise to enhance productiveness, you’ll need a minimalist web site that displays the time-saving advantages. In the meantime, a enterprise championing environmental causes leaves a long-lasting impression with a mix of green-themed components and empathetic messaging.

I do know that deciding on branding components has important implications, so I typically browse comparable web sites for inspiration earlier than shortlisting a couple of themes. However nowadays, you should utilize AI net improvement instruments to generate net prototypes just by describing your model to the chatbot.

5. Analyze rivals.

Does exploring your competitor’s web site show you how to redesign a greater one? Nicely, sure and no. Keep in mind that each enterprise is exclusive. Subsequently, you wouldn’t need to be overly influenced by what different web sites look or really feel like. What works for an additional could not give you the results you want.

But, competitor evaluation helps you uncover content material gaps, architectural points, funnels, and advertising and marketing methods you may overlook. For instance, you will discover out their best-performing net content material on search engines like google. This fashion, you’ll be able to create higher content material that may probably outrank your rivals.

6. Select an online platform.

Subsequent, resolve if you wish to stick with the identical hosting supplier and content material administration software program (CMS). For instance, many small companies started with WordPress and Wix because of their ease of use and low value. The draw back is having to combine dozens of plugins to allow enterprise, web site, and different capabilities, which, based mostly on my expertise, is difficult to handle at scale.

Nevertheless, as their enterprise grows, many corporations search a extra scalable CMS that’s built-in with their gross sales and advertising and marketing workflows. Some may select to develop a customized web site, notably in the event that they plan to supply in-page apps or instruments. Whereas this gives extra management over your entire redesign workflow, you’ll have to handle the technical complexities that include it.

In the meantime, I’ve additionally seen companies that host their web sites on business-driven CMS like HubSpot. The fantastic thing about this feature is that it permits them to create net content material, monitor efficiency metrics, and nurture leads from a unified platform. Furthermore, they will additionally use HubSpot’s Content material Hub to create AI-assisted content material that displays their model voice.

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7. Select your net design crew.

It’s tempting to tackle the mammoth process alone. However pay attention to the duties concerned when redesigning your websites. You’ll want a mix of creativity, content material creation, web optimization know-how, coding, and different skillsets to rebuild a web site efficiently.

For many companies, their time is healthier spent on core actions, equivalent to gross sales and advertising and marketing. If that’s the case, collaborating with an exterior net design crew is healthier. For instance, I’ve constructed a number of web sites from scratch prior to now, and it pushed me to my limits. Now, I collaborate with net designers I belief.

8. Construction your web site.

Your new web site have to be simple to navigate, each for people and search engines like google. So, resolve the way you manage matters, net pages, and blogs. And that’s the place a sitemap is useful. A sitemap describes the hierarchy of varied net content material, often grouping comparable matters collectively. It additionally serves as a blueprint that guides net designers, builders, and web optimization specialists.

For instance, should you run a software program improvement firm, you’ll be able to manage your web site into separate sections for generative AI improvement, cell app improvement, and software testing. Then, create blogs, net pages, and touchdown pages for every class. This fashion, guests can simply discover the knowledge they’re trying to find.

9. Create an audience-led content material technique.

Likelihood is, you will have to revamp most of your net content material. As you achieve this, maintain the viewers in thoughts, as a result of that’s the explanation why web sites exist. As a substitute of randomly publishing content material, align it along with your buyer’s journey.

Keep in mind, an efficient content material technique not solely will increase conversion but additionally positions your model as an authority. Consider content material as a layered funnel that helps your viewers all through their buy cycle. Each bit of content material ought to meet the person’s intent.

Personally, I’d recommend hanging a stability between transactional and informational content material. Merely put, don’t solely publish product pages, but additionally embrace blogs that information the viewers of their discovery, industrial investigation, and buy touchpoints. Moreover, you too can publish case research, whitepapers, and success tales to subtly persuade them that your model is price its worth.

Upon getting selected the kind of content material to publish, schedule it into an editorial calendar. You don’t need to create all of the items of content material directly. Somewhat, you’ll be able to launch the brand new web site with a number of sturdy items and proceed publishing out of your content material pipeline.

10. Apply greatest UX design practices.

Whereas it’s nice to have a classy web site, it’s even higher to have a practical one that truly drives enterprise outcomes. Based on a examine, companies misplaced $1.42 trillion in gross sales because of poor person expertise (UX). For those who don’t need to depart cash on the desk, you should take UX severely.

Person expertise (UX) is just not merely giving a web site a superficial facelift with fancy colours and layouts. Usually, you want a extra considerate consideration of how customers truly work together with a web site. Particularly, while you optimize your web site for UX, you deal with the benefit of use, accessibility, and comfort that your web site presents.

To get began, you’ll have to reply questions like:

• What’s the optimum font dimension and colour to make use of?
• Are net pages designed optimally for cell customers?
• How are you going to incorporate accessibility options to advertise higher inclusivity?
• Are you utilizing the correct distinction to showcase completely different components of the design?
• Can patrons full the checkout simply?

Then, you flip them into an actionable plan.

For instance, if a touchdown web page has a excessive drop charge, you should discover out whether or not prospects discover the acquisition path complicated. Then determine different potential causes that trigger prospects to go away. Typically, the issue might be technical, equivalent to gradual loading pages. Nevertheless, there are additionally circumstances the place the selection of copy, equivalent to within the call-to-action, may trigger prospects to hesitate.

11. Work on web optimization.

In case your web site has been driving search visitors, you’ll need to preserve, or, if higher, enhance your revamped web site’s search visibility. And meaning integrating web optimization into your net redesign technique.

web optimization is a broad subject that entails varied ideas, methods, and ways. I realized web optimization once I began constructing WordPress web sites in 2015. Since then, I’ve helped my shoppers rank net content material on Google. If there’s something I can share with you, it’s to maintain these factors in thoughts.

Redirect outdated pages.

Use a 301 redirect to route visitors from the online content material that you simply’ve eliminated to the brand new one. That is necessary as a result of some net pages may need gained credible backlinks over time. For those who don’t redirect them, you’ll lose backlink authority and, consequently, your search rating.

Carry out on-page optimization.

Be sure your content material is skimmable. Use subheadings, bullet factors, and numbered lists to construction your content material. In any other case, you threat turning guests away due to massive, chunky textual content.

If potential, use wealthy media like charts, photographs, and movies in your net content material. Not solely do they assist with web optimization, however they will additionally present extra context to your content material.

Additionally, don’t neglect to attach associated pages with inner hyperlinks. For instance, you’ll be able to hyperlink an outdated weblog about “e mail advertising and marketing ideas” to a brand new “greatest e mail advertising and marketing software program” article. Doing so helps your web site set up topical authority, which in flip improves its web optimization efficiency.

For those who’re constructing your web site on HubSpot, you’ll be able to cross-check on-page optimization with the web optimization suggestions it presents while you create a weblog. Personally, I’ve tried it, and I need to say, it’s strong.

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Use key phrases strategically.

Key phrases assist search engines like google perceive our content material, even within the age of AI-led search. You continue to have to optimize your net content material with key phrases in order for you it to be discovered by the correct customers. Simply keep in mind, don’t overstuff them.

Professional tip: As a greatest apply, I exploit the goal key phrases naturally as soon as within the title, first paragraph, and a minimum of one of many subheadings.

Optimize for AI search.

Historically, the aim of web optimization was to rank on Google and different search engines like google. Now, with generative AI reworking the search panorama, many manufacturers are hoping to be discovered on AI platforms like ChatGPT as nicely.

For the time being of writing, AI search optimization remains to be evolving quick. Fundamental web optimization nonetheless issues. However what the web optimization neighborhood is aware of is that model presence is a contributing issue to being cited by AI.

Professional tip: For those who’re undecided if what you are promoting has a powerful model presence, use HubSpot’s AI Search Grader. It’ll return a rating indicating your model’s sentiment and share of voice.

12. Stage your web site for testing.

All the time take a look at your new web site earlier than changing the present one. Regardless of having a complete redesign plan, there may nonetheless be points to iron out. For instance, some touchdown pages may look awkward to precise customers. Otherwise you may face integration points with third-party instruments.

When you can run inner exams to evaluate the web site, I like to recommend conducting usability exams with precise customers. That’s as a result of should you’re concerned within the redesign effort, you may develop familiarity blindness, a phenomenon while you’re so used to seeing the design that you simply don’t actually discover that there’s one thing amiss.

13. Carry out a switch-over.

After validating your web site’s performance, plan for a switch-over. However earlier than you achieve this, inform all stakeholders that you simply’re changing the present web site with a brand new one. Give prospects and customers sufficient time to arrange for the eventual rollover and notify them of what modifications they will anticipate.

Additionally, if potential, contemplate permitting customers to stay on the present net interface for a grace interval. This fashion, they will discover the brand new net interface at their very own tempo, which helps in easing the transition.

After all, not all companies are able to take action, as a result of sustaining each variations on the manufacturing surroundings might be difficult.

14. Monitor efficiency.

The primary a number of weeks are essential after your new web site goes stay. Primarily based on my expertise, even should you’ve achieved your greatest, some points may slip by the exams you performed.

So, be looking out for metrics that may show you how to determine post-launch points. And that features:

• Person interactions.
• Site visitors sources.
• Conversion charge.
• web optimization efficiency.

In a manner, you’re re-auditing your web site once more to make sure that the redesign is assembly its goals.

I do know — measuring so many metrics might be difficult. After I began constructing web sites in 2015, I had to make use of a number of instruments to consolidate them. However nowadays, you should utilize HubSpot’s Advertising and marketing Analytics to unify all the info.

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15. Optimize post-launch.

Your job doesn’t finish after your new web site has gone stay, even should you’ve ironed out all of the glitches. Web site applied sciences, buyer behaviors, and advertising and marketing tendencies don’t final ceaselessly. In reality, we’re in a fast-paced period the place we will’t afford to be complacent with our net technique.

Subsequently, periodically assess net efficiency, conversion, and buyer satisfaction. If mandatory, make changes to the content material, structure, or web site construction so your web site stays related.

Now, you’re prepared to revamp your web site.

We’ve coated every thing to revamp your web site, together with audit, restructure, content material, web optimization, and launch preparation. Apply the steps I shared to revamp a web site that pulls extra shoppers, wows extra guests, and converts extra prospects.

Editor’s Notice: This publish was initially printed in March 2013 and has been up to date for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.