Your Website Redesign Checklist for 2020

Is your website in need of a facelift? Even if you’ve spruced it up in the past couple of years, it might be outdated. And, if that’s the case, your website’s lackluster design could be hurting your business. The key to a successful web redesign is understanding what the latest trends and tools are. Here’s what you need to know.

Let’s start with an overview of what you should be looking at. Then, we’ll drill down into some of the specifics, including my recommendations for the best tools to use for your redesign. Here are the steps to follow for your redesign.

1. Audit your existing site.

It’s important to make an impartial accounting of your website as it is now to determine whether you need to invest in a redesign. Your review should include:

a. A review of your Google Analytics to see which aspects of your site are still performing up to your expectations, and what things need improvement.

b. A look at your website’s aesthetics to see if its appearance is negatively impacting the user experience.

c. A look at the technical aspects of your website, including plug-ins, security, links, and so on.

2. Decide what your goals are.

Perhaps you want to increase conversions, attract more leads, or increase your profits by 10% this year. Whatever your goals are, it’s important to keep them in mind during your redesign.

3. Think about design options.

Are you rebranding at the same time you’ll be redesigning your site? If so, your new design should reflect your new logo, colors, and brand identity.

4. Create a site map.

Your site map is an overview of the site’s architecture. It should include a complete overview of your menus and navigation with an eye toward creating an optimal user experience.

5. Employ design best practices.

Why mess with what is proven to convert best? That means including plenty of white space, putting your call to action above the fold, implementing lightboxes and other conversion boosters, and linking your logo back to your home page.

6. Research keywords.

Keep in mind that recent trends favor long-tail local keywords and voice search. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to rank for top keywords anyway, so you might as well laser-focus your SEO to get the best results.

7. Research the market and your competitors.

It’s always a good idea to review your competitors’ websites and see what you can learn. For example, you might see that most of your competitors blog twice a week and have online stores. That’s information you can use in your own redesign.

8. Research the market and your competitors.

It’s always a good idea to review your competitors’ websites and see what you can learn. For example, you might see that most of your competitors blog twice a week and have online stores. That’s information you can use in your own redesign.

9. Create evergreen content.

If you have outdated content on your site, your redesign is the best time to update it. Evergreen content is extremely useful because it remains fresh with the passage of time.

10. Take advantage of the latest website tech.

The internet has evolved since 2012… Your web redesign should employ the latest plug-ins and technology. For example, you may want to consider adding a chatbot for customer service or using a plug-in that allows visitors to your site to write reviews.

Using this quick checklist will ensure that your redesign covers all the bases.

Tools For Your Design. I always like to recommend tools and resources to business owners. After all, you’ve got enough on your plate!

Let’s start with web design platforms. Here are the three I’d recommend.

Once you’ve chosen a platform, the next step is to choose the other tools to make your website look and perform up to your standards. Here are some other tools I recommend. 

Once your site is redesigned, I recommend reviewing your Google Analytics regularly. That way, you’ll be able to spot potential problem areas and fix them before they have a negative impact on your business.