A website redesign may lead you to think that you have to start from scratch. Luckily, this isn’t usually the case. In my experience I’ve found that there are several steps you can take to ensure that your website redesign goes smoothly and gives you all that you’re looking for. Let’s get into where do you start.
Step 1: List what’s wrong
Photo by Cookie the Pom on Unsplash
First, you’ll want to make a list of everything that you find wrong with your current website. This list should include everything from content to design and everything in between. But how do you know what might be wrong if you’re not a professional? Trust your instincts. You’ve seen red flags in other situations. Be confident when you think you’re seeing red flags with your website.
Design elements include images, text, navigation, forms and content. Try to look at your site as if you were a first-time visitor. Is your website making the impression you want it to make? If your services or focus has changed, this may lead you to feel that your site needs a refresh.
Some broken elements can be easy to spot. Out-of-date contact info or services. Links that don’t work or lead to page that doesn’t exist anymore can be very frustrating. Have your payments buttons stopped working? Don’t know if you’re running on the latest version of your website builder? Write it all down.
Often, visitors to your site can provide insight. If they aren’t sure what to do when they get to your site, that’s a major issue. Listen to their feedback.
Step 2: Action items
Second, figure out how to address these issues. Take the list you created and put the issues in the order of importance. For example, if on your list of issues is that the color of your text doesn’t stand out against the background, write a suggestion of how you might want to fix it. Or maybe you’ve decided that your navigation bar has too many components. If the latter is true, what can be done to simplify it. Is it a matter of creating sub-menu, eliminating page or combining pages? In my opinion, navigation issues would be more important to address and figure out a solution.
As you decide how you might approach fixing your website’s issues, you’re creating a list of action items to complete.
Step 3: Take action
Now that you have a place to start, it’s time to decide if you want to tackle the issues on your own. If you are familiar with the platform that your site was built on, you can probably take on some or most of the issues. If you’re not comfortable or don’t have to time to do it yourself, finding a design professional is your best option. Moreover, they can probably do it in far less time than you can. That saves you precious time, enabling you to focus on other things.
When it comes to a website design, knowing where to start can help you know what your issues are and how they can be addressed. Many times, addressing those issues will improve the visitor’s experience and land you clients.
Featured image: Photo by Samantha Borges on Unsplash