Is your website looking dated? Not converting visitors? Slow and frustrating to use? A website redesign might be overdue. Here is how to know when to redesign and how to do it right.
Signs You Need a Redesign
- Outdated design - Looks like it was built 5+ years ago
- Not mobile-friendly - Poor experience on phones
- Slow loading - Takes more than 3 seconds
- High bounce rate - Visitors leave immediately
- Low conversions - Not generating leads or sales
- Hard to update - Making changes is a nightmare
- Security issues - Running outdated software
- Business changed - Website no longer reflects what you do
Redesign vs Refresh
Full Redesign:
- Complete visual overhaul
- New content strategy
- Possibly new platform
- 3-8 weeks, $3,000-15,000+
Refresh:
- Update colors, fonts, images
- Improve key pages
- Keep existing structure
- 1-2 weeks, $1,000-3,000
A refresh works if your site structure is sound but looks dated. A redesign is needed for fundamental problems.
Redesign Process
- Audit current site - What works? What does not?
- Define goals - What should the new site achieve?
- Plan content - What stays, what goes, what is new?
- Design phase - New look and feel
- Development - Build the new site
- Content migration - Move existing content carefully
- Testing - Check everything works
- SEO transition - Redirect old URLs to preserve rankings
- Launch - Go live with monitoring
Protecting Your SEO
A redesign can hurt your search rankings if done poorly:
- Keep URLs the same when possible
- Set up 301 redirects for any changed URLs
- Preserve meta titles and descriptions that rank well
- Maintain internal linking structure
- Submit new sitemap to Google Search Console
A website redesign is an investment in your business growth. Plan carefully, preserve what works, and focus on improving conversion and user experience.