Why and How Often Should You Perform Website Redesign?

Website redesign is the process of updating the look and feel, functionality, and overall performance of a website. It can be done to rebrand a site, to make it look more modern and up-to-date, to drive more traffic, to improve conversion rates, and to add new features and functionality. 

A redesign can be a daunting task, but it is essential for any business that wants to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape. As an experienced web design company in India with clients from across the globe, in this article, we will discuss why and how often you should redesign your website and also give some tips for redesigning your website effectively.

One of the main reasons to redesign a website is to improve the user experience. A website that is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and fast to load will keep visitors on the site longer and increase the likelihood that they will take action, such as filling out a contact form or making a purchase. 

A redesign can also help improve the site’s search engine optimisation (SEO), making it more likely to be found by potential customers.

Another reason to redesign a website is to keep up with industry trends and best practices. Technology and design trends are constantly evolving, and a website that was cutting-edge a few years ago may now look outdated. A redesign can help ensure that your website stays current and relevant.

What is Website Redesign

Website design is the process of creating a website that is visually appealing, user-friendly, and easy to navigate. It involves creating a design plan, including the layout, color scheme, typography, and images. 

Website redesign, on the other hand, is a process of updating the design, functionality, and overall performance of an existing website. This can be done for a variety of reasons, such as rebranding, improving user experience, or updating the site to be more mobile-friendly.

Website redesign can be a complex and time-consuming process, but it is essential for any business that wants to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape. 

A redesign can help improve the user experience, increase website traffic, and improve conversion rates. 

In fact, according to research done, a well-designed user interface may increase your website’s conversion rate by up to 200%, while better UX design can increase conversion rates by up to 400%.

It can also help ensure that your website stays current and relevant by keeping up with industry trends and best practices.

Why Redesign Your Website?

There are many reasons why you might want to redesign your website. Here are a few:

You want to rebrand your site 

If your company has undergone a rebranding process, it’s essential to update your website to reflect the new branding. This includes updating the color scheme, typography, and overall aesthetic to match the new branding guidelines. 

For instance, before Neil Patel acquired the keyword suggestion tool Ubersuggest, the website looked like this:

The design, in his opinion, was perfect, but it didn’t go with his own branding. The website has since undergone a makeover and currently looks like this:

It is obvious that it is one of his properties since the design is identical to that of his personal blog.

A redesign can help ensure that your website presents a consistent brand image and that it aligns with your overall business goals.

It looks and feels old or outdated

Websites over a few years old may look and feel outdated, which can turn off potential customers. 

A redesign can give your site a fresh, modern look and feel, making it more appealing to visitors. This can help ensure that your website presents a professional image and that it is in line with current design trends.

You want to drive more traffic to your site 

A redesign can help you improve your site’s search engine optimization (SEO) and make it more easily found by potential customers. 

It can also make your site more user-friendly, which can help increase the amount of time visitors spend on your site. This can help increase website traffic and improve the visibility of your site in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Your site’s speed 

Website speed is crucial for providing a good user experience as visitors won’t wait long for a page to load.

Website Load Time Statistics – Image Source: Unbounce

A slow website can drive visitors away, and a redesign can help improve the speed of your site. 

This can be achieved by optimizing image sizes, reducing the number of requests made to the server, and using a content delivery network (CDN). A faster website can lead to better user experience, increased website traffic, and improved conversion rates.

You want to convert more visitors into leads 

A redesign can help improve the user experience of your site, making it more likely that visitors will take action, such as filling out a contact form or making a purchase. 

This can be achieved by improving the overall design, creating a clear and easy-to-use navigation, and including calls-to-action (CTA) throughout the site. 

By improving the user experience and making it easy for visitors to take action, you can increase conversions and generate more leads for your business.

An example of this is Neil Patel’s website (NeilPatel.com). The homepage looked like this in 2015:

As you can see, his webinar, which he was actively advertising at the time, was the main emphasis of the homepage. He redesigned the webpage to focus on acquiring new leads since his objectives have now changed.

You want to add functionality to your site 

A redesign can give you the opportunity to add new features and functionality to your site, such as an e-commerce store, a blog, or a contact form. 

This can help increase the value of your site to visitors and improve the overall user experience.

You want to optimize your site for mobile visitors 

A redesign can help you ensure that your site is mobile-friendly, which is crucial in today’s world where the majority of internet traffic comes from mobile devices. 

In fact, according to Oberlo, 60.28 percent of all web traffic originated from mobile devices as of November 2022.

Going back ten years to 2012, this percentage was a pitiful 10.88 percent.

This can be achieved by using a responsive design or by creating a separate mobile version of your site. A mobile-friendly website can lead to better user experience and increased website traffic from mobile users.

How Often Should You Perform Website Redesign ?

There is no set rule for how often you should redesign your website. The majority of web designers however often advise redesigning your website every two to three years.

This is because a website that had an alluring and fashionable design three years ago often seems visually unattractive and out of date now since technology typically advances significantly every two to three years on average.

The proper time for a redesign might be determined by a few factors. To name a few:

• Change of brand of brand goal. If your brand or business goals change frequently, it may be necessary to redesign your website more often to ensure that it aligns with your current branding and goals. This can help ensure that your website presents a consistent brand image and that it aligns with your overall business objectives.
• Budget allotted for web design and development. The budget allocated for design and development can also play a role in determining how often you should redesign your website. A larger budget may allow for more frequent redesigns, while a smaller budget may require longer intervals between redesigns.
• Performance and functionality of existing website. The performance of your website, including its speed and functionality, can also play a role in determining how often you should redesign your site. If your website is not performing well or is not responsive, it may be time for a redesign.
• KPI of your website. Regularly monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates can help you determine whether a redesign is necessary. If these metrics are not meeting your expectations, it may be time to consider a redesign.
• Your competitors’ website. Keeping an eye on your competitors’ websites can give you an idea of when it may be time for a redesign. If your competitors are redesigning or updating their sites, it may be time for you to do the same.
• Updates in the industry. Industry changes, such as new technologies or design trends, can also impact the need for a redesign. If there are changes in the industry that impact the way people interact with websites, it may be time to redesign your site to stay ahead of the curve.

How to Redesign a Website

How do you go about redesigning a website now that you know how often you should do so?

When planning a redesign, there are several key steps that you should take to ensure that your redesign is effective. Here are some major website redesign tips to consider while planning and executing your web redesign:

Benchmark the performance metrics of your current website 

Before you start your redesign, it’s essential to understand your current  website’s performance metrics, such as traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates. 

If you’re not sure which website metrics to use for your objectives, the HubSpot chart below can help. This chart depicts the metrics that web analysts believe will be most relevant this year:

This will help you measure the impact of your redesign and determine whether it was successful.

Determine the goals of your website redesign

It’s essential to have clear goals for your redesign, such as increasing website traffic, improving conversion rates, or adding new features and functionality. 

These goals should align with your overall business objectives and be specific, measurable, and achievable.

Define your branding and messaging

Your redesign should reflect your brand and messaging, and it should align with your overall business goals. 

This includes updating the color scheme, typography, and overall aesthetic to match the new branding guidelines.

Define your buyer persona(s) 

Understanding your target audience is crucial for creating a website that will appeal to them. This can be done by creating buyer personas, which are fictional representations of your ideal customer. 

By understanding your target audience, you can create a website that is tailored to their needs and preferences.

If you’re now marketing to Generation Z consumers, for example, you may want to create a more vibrant, young website than if you were just targeting middle-aged.

Protect your search engine optimized pages 

During a redesign, it’s essential to maintain your existing search engine rankings by redirecting old URLs to new URLs (301 redirect). 

A 301 redirect is simple to setup if you’re using WordPress. I heartily endorse John Godley’s Redirection plugin. 

Use your WordPress backend’s plugin directory to download it, then just follow the plugin’s author’s simple instructions to install it.

This can help ensure that your website’s SEO is not negatively impacted by the redesign and that your existing traffic and search engine rankings are not lost.

Analyze the competition 

Before starting your redesign, it’s essential to research your competitors’ websites and see what they are doing well and what they are not. 

This can give you valuable insights and ideas for your redesign, and help you stay ahead of the competition.

Take inventory of your high-performing assets 

Before starting your redesign, it’s essential to take inventory of your high-performing assets, such as blog posts, e-books, whitepapers, etc. 

This will help you ensure that these assets are not lost during the redesign and that they are prominently featured on the new site.

Choose the right software 

Choosing the right software for your redesign is crucial. It’s essential to choose software that is user-friendly, easy to use, and that aligns with your overall business goals. 

This can include website builders, content management systems (CMS), e-commerce platforms, or custom software.

How To Ensure Your Website Is Always Up To Date

After redesigning your website, it’s essential to ensure that it stays up to date and in line with industry trends and best practices. 

Here are a few metrics to help you gauge the performance of your website, and analyze the impact of the updates you make:

Visitors

Regularly monitoring the number of visitors to your website can give you an idea of the effectiveness of your redesign and whether it is driving more traffic to your site. 

You can use tools like through MonsterInsights (a WordPress plugin for Google Analytics) to track the number of visitors to your site, where they are coming from, and how they interact with your site. 

By understanding your visitors’ behavior, you can make data-driven decisions about how to improve your website and attract more visitors.

Time on site 

The average time visitors spend on your site can indicate how engaged they are with your content and whether your redesign is improving the user experience. 

In fact, 45% of respondents to a Databox survey said that the typical time spent on their blog posts is 3-5 minutes. Thus, a high average time on site can indicate that your visitors are finding your content valuable and are engaging with it. 

On the other hand, a low average time on site can indicate that your redesign is not providing a good user experience or that it is not meeting the needs of your visitors.

Bounce rate 

The bounce rate measures the percentage of visitors who leave your site after only viewing one page. A high bounce rate can indicate that your redesign is not providing a good user experience or that it is not meeting the needs of your visitors. 

By monitoring your bounce rate, you can identify pages on your site that are not performing well and make changes to improve the user experience.

Keyword position tracking 

Tracking the position of your website’s keywords in SERPs can give you an idea of how well your redesign is impacting your SEO and whether it is improving your visibility in search results. 

By monitoring your keyword rankings, you can identify areas where your website is underperforming and make changes to improve your SEO.

Conversion Rate Tracking 

By monitoring your conversion rate, you can understand how effectively your website is converting visitors into leads or customers. 

A low conversion rate can indicate that your redesign is not providing a good user experience or that it is not meeting the needs of your visitors. 

You can use tools like Google Analytics to track conversion rates and A/B testing tools to test different website elements to improve the conversion rate.

Mobile-Friendliness Test 

With the majority of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s essential to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly. 

You can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check whether your website is mobile-friendly and to identify any issues that need to be addressed.

By monitoring these metrics and making changes based on the data, you can ensure that your website is always up to date and performing well. 

Conclusion

Website redesign is a process of updating the design, functionality, and overall performance of an existing website. It can be done for various reasons, such as rebranding, improving user experience, or updating the site to be more mobile-friendly. 

A redesign can be a daunting task, but it is essential for any business that wants to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape. 

By understanding why and how often you should redesign your website, and by following the tips and best practices outlined in this article, you can ensure that your redesign is effective and that your website continues to drive traffic, improve conversion rates, and support your business goals. 

It’s important to remember that a redesign is not a one-time event, but rather a continuous process of monitoring, testing, and optimizing your website to meet the changing needs of your visitors and your business.

Acodez is a leading web design company in India offering all kinds of web design and website redesign at affordable prices. We are also an SEO and digital marketing agency offering inbound marketing solutions to take your business to the next level. For further information, please contact us today.