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

I by no means thought I wanted an internet site redesign technique till I misplaced search site visitors and the income it introduced. That was in 2022, after I had a number of web sites producing earnings through affiliate commissions. Again then, you could possibly have an “ugly” web site and nonetheless rank effectively 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 steadiness 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 keeping with a examine, 75% of tourists determine if an internet site is credible primarily based on how the content material is introduced. In case your web site is experiencing a excessive bounce fee, a drop in conversions, declining site visitors, or different points, you would possibly want a redesign technique.

Beneath is every little thing that you must know.

Desk of Contents

Through the years, I’ve seen many manufacturers redesign their web sites once they pivoted their enterprise technique, remodeled their model, or just because their conversion suffered.

Web site Redesign vs. Web site Refresh

Web site redesign typically requires substantial assets, time, and energy to perform. It isn’t a easy makeover that may be accomplished in a single day. So earlier than we transfer on, let’s decide whether or not you actually want a complete redesign or a easy web site refresh.

An internet site refresh, in contrast to an internet site redesign, focuses on updates that don’t have an effect on your web site’s construction. Which means you don’t have to republish complete blogs, revamp touchdown pages, or realign the shopper journey with new content material.

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

Indicators You Want a Web site Redesign

Typically, that you must revamp your complete web site to remain related, particularly in right now’s fast-paced digital panorama.

Even when your web site nonetheless seems presentable, some model, content material, and options might have change into outdated.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

In case you’re not sure whether or not that you must redesign your web site, use these questions as a information.

Are you seeing an enormous drop in impressions, site 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 advanced past the prevailing design, model, and voice?
Is your web site insecure from rising threats?
Does your target market wrestle to seek out your net content material on serps and AI platforms?

A “sure” to many of the questions typically requires a redesign, as a result of, in my expertise, there are not any shortcuts to revitalize an internet site that’s failing in lots of features. Additionally, most of the time, a number of points are correlated, which implies you possibly can’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 prevailing coloration, content material, and magnificence not match your model’s new identification. A model and net content material mismatch, then, will undermine the viewers’s belief, leading to decreased dwell time and conversion fee.

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

Beneath, I share the steps I take advantage of 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 essential to know what’s working and what wants enchancment. In any other case, you would possibly find yourself repeating the identical non-performing factor, or worse, errors, when redesigning your web site.

Belief me — it’s painful to seek out out that the revamped web site is not 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. Study the place your guests come from, together with their demographics, medium, and the touchdown pages they land on. Understanding these metrics helps you prioritize particular channels and content material when redesigning the web site.
Bounce fee. A excessive bounce fee is a pink flag that guests usually are not discovering what they need from particular net pages.
Search efficiency. Be aware of the top-performing key phrases and net pages on your web site. Be aware when transforming content material, as you don’t need the brand new web site to endure a decline in search rankings.
Conversion fee. A few of your touchdown pages is likely to be efficient in capturing leads. Notice down the framework, copywriting, and design used and replicate that within the new design.
Income. Some companies, reminiscent of ecommerce and retail websites, flip guests into paying prospects with product pages. Much like touchdown pages, analyze what’s working effectively and leverage the findings when rebuilding the web site.

2. Decide your redesign targets.

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

Sometimes, corporations revamp their web sites for these causes:

To extend search site visitors.
To extend dwell time.
To extend certified leads.
To enhance conversion fee.
To extend orders and income.

I do know that some enterprise homeowners are tempted to revamp an internet site only for the sake of doing so. Mild recommendation: Don’t. It is because in the event you don’t tie your web site redesign to quantifiable targets, you received’t be capable to measure its success later.

3. Analysis your viewers.

A profitable web site reboot depends on viewers insights. In case you’re conscious of their preferences, navigation habits, and the way they devour info, you possibly can 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 wish to goal. Then, allow them to discover your web site and let you know what’s working and what’s not working.

For instance, I’m at the moment revamping my private web site, which gives web optimization content material creation providers, and I’ve reached out to advertising managers to assemble suggestions.

However don’t cease right here.

If attainable, map the persona to a buyer journey with the intention to construction your web site accordingly. For instance, a advertising supervisor won’t instantly interact my providers. Due to this fact, I funnel them to an electronic mail publication and nurture them.

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

Supply

4. Outline your branding and messaging.

An internet site bridges the hole between what you are promoting and its prospects, which requires an interesting and relatable expertise. Due to this fact, keep away from utilizing generic design templates as-is.

As a substitute, your web site ought to replicate 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, in the event 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 vital implications, so I typically browse comparable web sites for inspiration earlier than shortlisting a number 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? Effectively, sure and no. Do not forget that each enterprise is exclusive. Due to this fact, you wouldn’t wish to be overly influenced by what different web sites look or really feel like. What works for one more might not give you the results you want.

But, competitor evaluation helps you uncover content material gaps, architectural points, funnels, and advertising methods you would possibly overlook. For instance, you could find out their best-performing net content material on serps. This manner, you possibly can create higher content material that may probably outrank your rivals.

6. Select an online platform.

Subsequent, determine 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 attributable to 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, primarily based on my expertise, is difficult to handle at scale.

Nonetheless, as their enterprise grows, many corporations search a extra scalable CMS that’s built-in with their gross sales and advertising workflows. Some would possibly select to develop a customized web site, notably in the event that they plan to supply in-page apps or instruments. Whereas this supplies extra management over your complete 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 great 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’ll additionally use HubSpot’s Content material Hub to create AI-assisted content material that displays their model voice.

Supply

7. Select your net design crew.

It’s tempting to tackle the mammoth job alone. However concentrate on 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 an internet site efficiently.

For many companies, their time is healthier spent on core actions, reminiscent of gross sales and advertising. 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 previously, and it pushed me to my limits. Now, I collaborate with net designers I belief.

8. Construction your web site.

Your new web site should be straightforward to navigate, each for people and serps. So, determine the way you set up matters, net pages, and blogs. And that’s the place a sitemap is useful. A sitemap describes the hierarchy of assorted net content material, normally grouping comparable matters collectively. It additionally serves as a blueprint that guides net designers, builders, and web optimization specialists.

For instance, in the event you run a software program improvement firm, you possibly can set up your web site into separate sections for generative AI improvement, cell app improvement, and utility testing. Then, create blogs, net pages, and touchdown pages for every class. This manner, guests can simply discover the data they’re trying to find.

9. Create an audience-led content material technique.

Likelihood is, you have to to revamp most of your net content material. As you accomplish that, 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.

Bear 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. Every bit of content material ought to meet the person’s intent.

Personally, I’d recommend placing a steadiness between transactional and informational content material. Merely put, don’t solely publish product pages, but additionally embody blogs that information the viewers of their discovery, business investigation, and buy touchpoints. Moreover, it’s also possible to publish case research, whitepapers, and success tales to subtly persuade them that your model is value its worth.

After you have selected the kind of content material to publish, schedule it into an editorial calendar. You don’t should create all of the items of content material without delay. Moderately, you possibly can launch the brand new web site with a number of robust items and proceed publishing out of your content material pipeline.

10. Apply finest UX design practices.

Whereas it’s nice to have a trendy web site, it’s even higher to have a useful one that truly drives enterprise outcomes. In line with a examine, companies misplaced $1.42 trillion in gross sales attributable to poor person expertise (UX). In case you don’t wish to go away cash on the desk, that you must take UX critically.

Person expertise (UX) will not be merely giving an internet site a superficial facelift with fancy colours and layouts. Usually, you want a extra considerate consideration of how customers really work together with an internet site. Particularly, whenever you optimize your web site for UX, you concentrate on the benefit of use, accessibility, and comfort that your web site gives.

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

What’s the optimum font measurement and coloration to make use of?
Are net pages designed optimally for cell customers?
How will you incorporate accessibility options to advertise better inclusivity?
Are you utilizing the best distinction to showcase totally different components of the design?
Can consumers full the checkout simply?

Then, you flip them into an actionable plan.

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

11. Work on web optimization.

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

web optimization is a broad subject that includes varied ideas, methods, and techniques. I discovered web optimization after 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 site visitors from the net content material that you simply’ve eliminated to the brand new one. That is essential as a result of some net pages may need gained credible backlinks over time. In case you don’t redirect them, you’ll lose backlink authority and, consequently, your search rating.

Carry out on-page optimization.

Be certain 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 giant, chunky textual content.

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

Additionally, don’t overlook to attach associated pages with inner hyperlinks. For instance, you possibly can hyperlink an outdated weblog about “electronic mail advertising suggestions” to a brand new “finest electronic mail advertising software program” article. Doing so helps your web site set up topical authority, which in flip improves its web optimization efficiency.

In case you’re constructing your web site on HubSpot, you possibly can cross-check on-page optimization with the web optimization suggestions it gives whenever you create a weblog. Personally, I’ve tried it, and I need to say, it’s stable.

Supply

Use key phrases strategically.

Key phrases assist serps 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 best customers. Simply bear in mind, don’t overstuff them.

Professional tip: As a finest observe, I take advantage of 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 purpose of web optimization was to rank on Google and different serps. Now, with generative AI reworking the search panorama, many manufacturers are hoping to be discovered on AI platforms like ChatGPT as effectively.

For the time being of writing, AI search optimization remains to be evolving quick. Primary 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: In case you’re undecided if what you are promoting has a robust 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 check your new web site earlier than changing the prevailing one. Regardless of having a complete redesign plan, there would possibly nonetheless be points to iron out. For instance, some touchdown pages would possibly look awkward to precise customers. Otherwise you would possibly face integration points with third-party instruments.

Whilst you can run inner assessments to evaluate the web site, I like to recommend conducting usability assessments with precise customers. That’s as a result of in the event you’re concerned within the redesign effort, you would possibly develop familiarity blindness, a phenomenon whenever 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 accomplish that, inform all stakeholders that you simply’re changing the prevailing web site with a brand new one. Give prospects and customers sufficient time to organize for the eventual rollover and notify them of what adjustments they’ll anticipate.

Additionally, if attainable, think about permitting customers to stay on the prevailing net interface for a grace interval. This manner, they’ll discover the brand new net interface at their very own tempo, which helps in easing the transition.

In fact, not all companies are able to take action, as a result of sustaining each variations on the manufacturing setting may be difficult.

14. Monitor efficiency.

The primary a number of weeks are essential after your new web site goes reside. Primarily based on my expertise, even in the event you’ve completed your finest, some points would possibly slip by the assessments you carried out.

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 fee.
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 may be difficult. Once 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 information.

Supply

15. Optimize post-launch.

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

Due to this fact, 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 little thing to revamp your web site, together with audit, restructure, content material, web optimization, and launch preparation. Apply the steps I shared to revamp an internet site that pulls extra shoppers, wows extra guests, and converts extra prospects.

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