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 possibly can have an “ugly” web site and nonetheless rank properly in search.

However not anymore.

At this time, your web site wants extra than simply content material. To seem in search engine outcomes, web sites should steadiness consumer expertise, model readability, website construction, safety, and technical infrastructure. And I’ll say that’s honest, as a result of prospects count on nothing much less from a enterprise they belief.

In actual fact, in keeping with a research, 75% of tourists resolve if a web site is credible primarily based on how the content material is offered. In case your web site is experiencing a excessive bounce fee, a drop in conversions, declining visitors, or different points, you would possibly want a redesign technique.

Beneath is all the things it’s essential know.

Desk of Contents

What’s web site redesign?

A web site redesign is the method of fixing and updating the content material, construction, format, and/or navigation of your web site to enhance its efficiency and convert extra guests.

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

Web site Redesign vs. Web site Refresh

Web site redesign usually requires substantial sources, 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.

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

For instance, in case you’re simply tweaking the font, colours, or format of your homepage, that’s a web site refresh. On this observe, I’d counsel utilizing HubSpot’s AI Web site Generator to shortly reimagine your homepage, create a prototype, and draw inspiration. All it’s essential do is describe your small business, the model you need, and the device’s generative AI will do the heavy lifting.

Indicators You Want a Web site Redesign

Generally, it’s essential revamp your whole web site to remain related, particularly in at this time’s fast-paced digital panorama.

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when your web site nonetheless appears presentable, some model, content material, and options might have grow to be outdated.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

When you’re not sure whether or not it’s essential 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 prevailing design, model, and voice?
• Is your web site insecure from rising threats?
• Does your audience wrestle to search out your internet content material on engines like google and AI platforms?

A “sure” to many of the questions usually requires a redesign, as a result of, in my expertise, there aren’t any shortcuts to revitalize a web site that’s failing in lots of elements. Additionally, as a rule, a number of points are correlated, which implies you may’t repair one with out addressing the opposite.

Let’s say that your small business 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 internet content material mismatch, then, will undermine the viewers’s belief, leading to decreased dwell time and conversion fee.

There aren’t any strict guidelines about web site redesign. That stated, some finest practices, when utilized in a deliberate sequence, assist you to keep away from errors that may be pricey 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 website.

Belief me — it’s painful to search 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 robust 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 crimson flag that guests should not discovering what they need from particular internet pages.
• Search efficiency. Pay attention to the top-performing key phrases and internet pages to 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 may be efficient in capturing leads. Observe down the framework, copywriting, and design used and replicate that within the new design.
• Income. Some companies, resembling ecommerce and retail websites, flip guests into paying prospects with product pages. Just like touchdown pages, analyze what’s working properly 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 job. Usually, it’s essential 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 visitors.
• To extend dwell time.
• To extend certified leads.
• To enhance conversion fee.
• To extend orders and income.

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

3. Analysis your viewers.

A profitable web site reboot depends on viewers insights. When you’re conscious of their preferences, navigation habits, and the way they devour data, you may keep away from design blind spots and misguided assumptions.

So, attain out to your audience 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 inform you what’s working and what’s not working.

For instance, I’m at present revamping my private web site, which presents search engine optimisation content material creation companies, and I’ve reached out to advertising managers to assemble suggestions.

However don’t cease right here.

If doable, map the persona to a buyer journey so to construction your web site accordingly. For instance, a advertising supervisor won’t instantly have interaction my companies. Due to this fact, I funnel them to an e mail publication and nurture them.

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

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4. Outline your branding and messaging.

A web site bridges the hole between your small business and its prospects, which requires a fascinating and relatable expertise. Due to this fact, keep away from utilizing generic design templates as-is.

As an alternative, your web site ought to replicate your model by the selection of colours, fonts, messaging, and format. Be it your emblem, blogs, or product pages, be constant when aligning them along with your model.

For instance, in case you’re working a tech startup that pitches merchandise to enhance productiveness, you’ll desire 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 usually browse related web sites for inspiration earlier than shortlisting a couple of themes. However nowadays, you need to use AI internet improvement instruments to generate internet prototypes just by describing your model to the chatbot.

5. Analyze opponents.

Does exploring your competitor’s web site assist you 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 an additional 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’ll find out their best-performing internet content material on engines like google. This fashion, you may create higher content material that may probably outrank your opponents.

6. Select an internet platform.

Subsequent, resolve if you wish to stick with the identical website hosting supplier and content material administration software program (CMS). For instance, many small companies started with WordPress and Wix on account 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, 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, significantly in the event that they plan to supply in-page apps or instruments. Whereas this supplies extra management over the complete redesign workflow, you’ll must 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 selection is that it permits them to create internet 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 internet 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, search engine optimisation know-how, coding, and different skillsets to rebuild a web site efficiently.

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

8. Construction your web site.

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

For instance, in case you run a software program improvement firm, you may manage your website into separate sections for generative AI improvement, cellular app improvement, and software testing. Then, create blogs, internet pages, and touchdown pages for every class. This fashion, 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 internet content material. As you achieve this, hold the viewers in thoughts, as a result of that’s the explanation why web sites exist. As an alternative 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 in addition 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 consumer’s intent.

Personally, I’d counsel placing a steadiness between transactional and informational content material. Merely put, don’t solely publish product pages, but in addition embody 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 value 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. Moderately, you may 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. Based on a research, companies misplaced $1.42 trillion in gross sales on account of poor consumer expertise (UX). When you don’t wish to go away cash on the desk, it’s essential take UX critically.

Person expertise (UX) isn’t merely giving a web site a superficial facelift with fancy colours and layouts. Usually, you want a extra considerate consideration of how customers really work together with a web site. Particularly, if you optimize your website for UX, you deal with the convenience of use, accessibility, and comfort that your web site presents.

To get began, you’ll must reply questions like:

• What’s the optimum font measurement and coloration to make use of?
• Are internet pages designed optimally for cellular customers?
• How will you incorporate accessibility options to advertise larger inclusivity?
• Are you utilizing the best distinction to showcase completely different elements 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 fee, it’s essential discover out whether or not prospects discover the acquisition path complicated. Then determine different doable causes that trigger prospects to depart. Generally, the issue could be technical, resembling gradual loading pages. Nonetheless, there are additionally instances the place the selection of copy, resembling within the call-to-action, would possibly trigger prospects to hesitate.

11. Work on search engine optimisation.

In case your web site has been driving search visitors, you’ll wish to keep, or, if higher, enhance your revamped website’s search visibility. And meaning integrating search engine optimisation into your internet redesign technique.

search engine optimisation is a broad matter that includes varied rules, methods, and techniques. I discovered search engine optimisation once I began constructing WordPress web sites in 2015. Since then, I’ve helped my shoppers rank internet content material on Google. If there’s something I can share with you, it’s to maintain these factors in thoughts.

Redirect previous pages.

Use a 301 redirect to route visitors from the net content material that you just’ve eliminated to the brand new one. That is essential as a result of some internet pages might need gained credible backlinks over time. When you don’t redirect them, you’ll lose backlink authority and, consequently, your search rating.

Carry out on-page optimization.

Make 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 massive, chunky textual content.

If doable, use wealthy media like charts, pictures, and movies in your internet content material. Not solely do they assist with search engine optimisation, 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 may hyperlink an previous weblog about “e mail advertising suggestions” to a brand new “finest e mail advertising software program” article. Doing so helps your web site set up topical authority, which in flip improves its search engine optimisation efficiency.

When you’re constructing your web site on HubSpot, you may cross-check on-page optimization with the search engine optimisation suggestions it presents if you create a weblog. Personally, I’ve tried it, and I need to say, it’s stable.

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Use key phrases strategically.

Key phrases assist engines like google perceive our content material, even within the age of AI-led search. You continue to must optimize your internet content material with key phrases if you would like it to be discovered by the best customers. Simply keep 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 aim of search engine optimisation was to rank on Google and different engines like google. Now, with generative AI reworking the search panorama, many manufacturers are hoping to be discovered on AI platforms like ChatGPT as properly.

In the meanwhile of writing, AI search optimization continues to be evolving quick. Primary search engine optimisation nonetheless issues. However what the search engine optimisation group is aware of is that model presence is a contributing issue to being cited by AI.

Professional tip: When you’re unsure if your small business 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 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.

When you can run inner checks to evaluate the web site, I like to recommend conducting usability checks with precise customers. That’s as a result of in case you’re concerned within the redesign effort, you would possibly develop familiarity blindness, a phenomenon if you’re so used to seeing the design that you just 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 just’re changing the prevailing website 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 count on.

Additionally, if doable, contemplate permitting customers to stay on the prevailing internet interface for a grace interval. This fashion, they will discover the brand new internet 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 could be difficult.

14. Monitor efficiency.

The primary a number of weeks are essential after your new web site goes dwell. Primarily based on my expertise, even in case you’ve completed your finest, some points would possibly slip by the checks you performed.

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

• Person interactions.
• Site visitors sources.
• Conversion fee.
• search engine optimisation efficiency.

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

I do know — measuring so many metrics could 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 need to use 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 dwell, even in case you’ve ironed out all of the glitches. Web site applied sciences, buyer behaviors, and advertising tendencies don’t final perpetually. In actual fact, we’re in a fast-paced period the place we are able to’t afford to be complacent with our internet technique.

Due to this fact, periodically assess internet efficiency, conversion, and buyer satisfaction. If essential, make changes to the content material, format, or website construction so your web site stays related.

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

We’ve coated all the things to revamp your web site, together with audit, restructure, content material, search engine optimisation, and launch preparation. Apply the steps I shared to revamp a web site that draws extra customers, wows extra guests, and converts extra prospects.

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