It's inevitable. No matter how happy you are with your website when it launches, at some point, you'll be ready to give it a refresh and try something new.

You might be looking to redesign your business website for many different reasons. For example, you might have recently undergone a brand identity change or be looking to make more meaningful connections with your target audience through new conversion goals.

Whatever the reason you are looking to undergo a website redesign, there are some key factors to consider to ensure the website redesign process goes smoothly and doesn't end up costing you unplanned expenses in the future.

Here are six essential areas to consider before you embark on your next website redesign project.

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Ask Yourself the Right Questions

One of the first steps you should take before you jump into a website redesign is asking yourself the right questions. The list below outlines some of the most helpful questions you should be asking yourself before your website redesign:

What are the most valuable pages on your website right now, and why?
Which pages motivate the most clicks off your site, and why?
What audience demographic is spending the most time on your site?
What is the purpose of your business website?
What do you wish to gain from a website redesign?

You likely don't have answers to all these questions from day one, which is completely fine. Taking the time to think more about what is working on your existing site, what needs changing, and what your goals from the website redesign are is an essential step on the path to success.

Involve the team through brainstorming and prototypes

Once you have a better idea as to why you are interested in redesigning your business website, it is useful to spend some time brainstorming. Get a team together to spend some time brainstorming about your new business website. Creating a team with a mix of different perspectives and departmental priorities can be very useful at this stage.

Next, spend some time drafting some early prototypes. Of course, it is likely that when you are creating prototypes, you will be looking to work with a designer. Once you have a few different prototypes available, review them with the entire team to ensure you have considered various perspectives.

Reevaluate the website platform

Often, a website redesign only addresses the consumer-facing elements of a website - what you see when you land on the page. However, given the time commitment of a website redesign, it's also good practice to reassess your backend website engine.

For example, perhaps you launched your website several years ago before you had an online template shop or e-commerce storefront. However, now you need those features, and you've modified your current website to make it work using workarounds or temporary solutions.

In this case, it may be time to reevaluate the platform and try a product that's a better fit. Or, if your team has changed and you no longer have the expertise you need internally to make website updates or revisions, switching to a more user-friendly website platform can save you thousands of dollars in consulting or editing fees.

business woman thinking while leaning against the wall

Integrate Search Engine Optimization

No matter what your specific goals are for redesigning your business website, it is likely that you will also be interested in boosting brand awareness, brand credibility, and both quality and quantity of traffic to your site. As SEO consultancy Click Intelligence explains, integrating SEO into your business website can dramatically impact your site performance and search engine result pages (SERP). Spending some time doing an SEO audit and then making a clear plan to move forward will help you increase the initial return on your business website and the long-term success of your marketing campaigns.

Use Intuitive Website Design

No matter how beautiful your website redesign looks, if your site is challenging to navigate, you will likely lose your audience long before the conversion.

Studies show that when a customer has to search too hard or think too much about how to navigate a website, conversions decrease. Using intuitive website design puts the user at the center of the design experience, ensuring the focus isn't on what looks fun or flashy but on what the user expects and understands as the clear path from point A to point B.

For example, Nodex website design for recruiters can also be a valuable resource for businesses in need of a recruiter-specific platform. Nodex offers services such as job board integration, applicant tracking, and resume search functionality. With Nodex, recruiters can easily manage their hiring process and find the most qualified candidates for their job openings. The intuitive design of the platform ensures a smooth user experience for both recruiters and job seekers, increasing the likelihood of successful hires and improving overall recruitment efficiency.

Test Out Your New Site

Once you complete a website redesign, it's vital to spend some time testing before launching. Start with internal testing and ask team members who were not involved in the project to review the site and search for errors like grammar mistakes, misalignment, or inconsistencies.

Next, expand your testing circle to stakeholders like loyal and trusting customers, vendors, or board members and ask for their feedback. Be sure to give them a mechanism to send constructive criticism and ask them to test the site on multiple device sizes and browsers.

If you have the budget, it can also be helpful to take the site to the consumer with A to B testing to ensure you have the highest quality site before launching.

Final Thoughts

A website redesign is a great alternative to scrapping your entire website and starting over. However, it does require thoughtful intention before the project start, and keeping these six essential elements in mind will save you time and money on the project.

When was the last time you went through a website redesign, and what did you learn in the process?

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