You got a dress designed in 2000, would you prefer wearing the same dress in 2024 for a big event. Majority will nod in ‘NO’. But, why? Because, what was acceptable yesterday is not acceptable today. What worked yesterday will not work today. Right?
Same is the case with websites. The digital industry is a constantly evolving industry. Trends algorithms and user’s behaviours change everyday. Based on those, new ideas, new strategies are required to put in place as far as the website’s UI and UX is concerned. Earlier, people used to have websites for the sake of having it and claiming it – “Yes, I am in digital world. But this is not the case in today’s scenario.” With this “ever evolving” scenario, website redesigning becomes a necessity. The duration after which one may need website redesigning differs. Some brands may need to redesign website after a year or 5, or for some redesigning is required even after 6 months.
You can’t deny that the though of designing a website leave you with a mix of excitement, anxiety, and a flurry of questions:
- Where should you begin?
- Will the investment be worthwhile?
- How will I ensure if the new design aligns with your brand identity?
What is a Website Redesign?
When we talk about website redesigning, we mean a complete makeover of your website. Think of it as giving your site a ‘plastic surgery.’ Everything changes except your domain—layout, design, content, and graphics. New pages can also be added to provide more information to users. Sometimes, the underlying technologies are updated as well; for instance, if your website is on Shopify, you might want to migrate to a newer platform or update its features.
5 Fun Facts About Website Redesign
- First Impressions Matter (Really, Really Matter)
People judge a website within a blink of an eye – literally, 50 milliseconds! So, that new homepage design better make a good first impression.
- Color Psychology is Real Magic
Ever wondered why you feel calm on a blue website or energetic on a red one? That’s color psychology at work!
- Mobile-First is the New Black
With more people browsing the web on their phones than ever before, designing for mobile is no longer an option – it’s a must.
- Website Redesigns Can Boost Conversions
A fresh, updated website can do wonders for your bottom line.
- Even the Pros Get It Wrong Sometimes
Website redesigns can be tricky. Even experienced designers can make mistakes. It’s all part of the creative process!
A Formula for Determining Website Redesign Need
Disclaimer: While there’s no exact mathematical formula, we can create a weighted scoring system to help you evaluate your website’s health.
Factors to Consider:
Assign a score from 1-5 for each factor (1 = poor, 5 = excellent):
- Design: Does your website’s look and feel reflect your brand? Is it easy on the eyes and modern?
- User Experience (UX): Can visitors find what they’re looking for quickly and easily? Are the calls to action clear and compelling?
- Mobile Optimization: Does your website look and function great on smartphones and tablets?
- Performance: Does your site load fast? Is it secure?
- Content: Is your content fresh, informative, and engaging? Does it speak to your target audience?
- Conversion Rate: Are you turning website visitors into customers or leads?
- Bounce Rate: Are people leaving your site quickly after arriving?
- SEO: Are you optimized for search engines so people can find you?
- Analytics: Are you tracking website performance and user behavior to make improvements?
Calculation:
Total Score: Add up the scores for all factors.
Average Score: Calculate the total score and divide it by the number of factors, which is 9 in this case.
Interpretation:
Average Score < 3: Your website is likely in need of a redesign.
Average Score 3-4: Consider a minor redesign or significant updates.
Average Score > 4: your website is performing well, but ongoing improvement is crucial.
Remember: This formula is a starting point. Qualitative factors like user feedback and business goals are equally important.
Website Redesign Mistakes to Avoid
While many common mistakes can plague website redesigns, there are also some less obvious errors that can significantly impact your project.
1. Ignoring User Feedback Post-Launch
Mistake’s |
Impact |
|---|---|
| Failing to create a website that is accessible to individuals with disabilities. | Excluding a substantial part of your target audience and possibly encountering legal consequences. |
2. Overlooking Accessibility
Mistake’s |
Impact |
|---|---|
| Failing to design a website that is accessible to individuals with disabilities. | Excluding a significant portion of your target audience and potentially facing legal consequences. |
3. Failing to Test on Real Devices
Mistake’s |
Impact |
|---|---|
| Relying solely on emulators or simulators for testing website performance. | Neglecting critical issues that emerge only on actual devices, such as slow loading times or unresponsive elements. |
4. Neglecting Analytics Integration
Mistake’s |
Impact |
|---|---|
| Failing to integrate analytics tools from the start of the redesign process. | Lack of ability to track website performance and user behavior, making it challenging to assess the success of the redesign. |
5. Ignoring the Power of Microinteractions
Mistake’s |
Impact |
|---|---|
| Overlooking small, interactive elements that can enhance user experience. | Creating a dull and unresponsive website that fails to engage users. |
By recognizing these common pitfalls, you can proactively address potential issues and ensure a successful website redesign.
Would you like to explore specific strategies for avoiding these mistakes?
Website Redesign Checklist
Planning Phase
Element |
Importance |
| Define Project Goals and Objectives | Nearly all users (90%) agree this is important |
| Conduct a Thorough Website Audit | Over three-quarters of users (80%) find this valuable |
| Identify Target Audience | Almost all users (95%) consider this crucial |
| Competitive Analysis | Three-quarters of users (75%) believe this is beneficial |
| Keyword Research | Nearly nine out of ten users (85%) find this important |
| Create a Sitemap | Over three-quarters of users (80%) consider this important |
| Design Wireframes and Mockups | Nearly nine out of ten users (85%) find this important |
| Develop High-Quality Content | Nearly all users (90%) agree this is important |
| Choose a Color Palette and Typography | Crucial for brand identity and visual appeal. |
Design and Development Phase
Element |
Importance |
| Responsive Design | 90% of users expect a website to work on mobile devices (Google) |
| User Experience (UX) Design | A 1-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% bounce rate increase (Google) |
| Visual Design | Websites with visually appealing designs have up to 94% higher conversion rates (WebFX) |
| Mobile Optimization | Mobile-first indexing is a Google ranking factor, impacting over 50% of search traffic |
| Image Optimization | Slow-loading images can increase bounce rates by 32% (Google) |
| SEO Optimization | Websites in the top 3 organic search results get 51% of all clicks (BrightEdge) |
| Accessibility | Businesses risk losing 7% of customers due to poor website accessibility (WebAIM) |
| Cross-Browser Compatibility | Inconsistent experiences can lead to a 20% decrease in conversions (Salesforce) |
| Performance Optimization | A 1-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% bounce rate increase (Google) |
| Security Measures | Data breaches can cost companies an average of $4.35 million (IBM) |
Launch and Post-Launch Phase
| Testing and Quality Assurance | Can reduce launch-related issues by 30-50%, leading to improved user experience and reduced support costs |
| Backup Your Website | Essential for disaster recovery; avoids potential losses of millions in revenue and reputation |
| Set Up Redirects | Can maintain up to 90% of search engine traffic to redirected pages |
| Monitor Website Performance | Can identify issues leading to up to 20% improvement in key metrics (e.g., bounce rate, conversion rate) |
| Gather User Feedback | Can increase customer satisfaction by 10-15% and inform improvements |
| A/B Testing | Can boost conversions by an average of 5-15% |
| Update Content Regularly | Can increase organic search traffic by 10-20% and improve user engagement |
How Much Does a Website Redesign Cost in 2024 in Canada?
“It’s the most common question that every businessperson encounters: What could be the cost of website redesigning? Let me tell you a fact—approximately 45% of businesses consider not redesigning their websites due to cost concerns. But! But! But! Here’s another fact—you need to know: a properly redesigned website can boost your overall revenue by 40%.
Now comes the question, “How much does it cost to redesign a website?” Well… it depends on a vast number of factors:
- Size of the website (small or big)
- Complexity (various UI/UX elements you want to incorporate)
- Scope of the website (structure, functionality, and content)
- Design of the website (graphics, videos, and animations you want to incorporate)
- Development complexity (if you require custom coding or integrations with other systems)
- Choice of developer or agency (you can have a website redesigned by freelancers, small agencies, or large digital marketing firms, all of which cost differently)”
General Cost Ranges
While it’s difficult to provide an exact figure, here’s a general idea of what you might expect:
Small business website redesign: $3,000 – $24,000
Medium-sized business website redesign: $24,000 – $40,000
Large business website redesign: $40,000+
These are just estimates of cost ranges and can vary depending on the features you want to incorporate into your website.
Website Redesign SEO Checklist
Optimize Your Existing Content
Preserve the value of your existing content during a website redesign (don’t ignore this…It is important). Why it is important? Because content that has already earned high search engine rankings and built trust with users represents a significant asset. Why optimization of content is necessary? By optimizing this content, you ensure that this hard-won equity isn’t lost.
Updating outdated information maintains relevance and ensures continued user satisfaction.
Bonus Tip: Refine keyword usage within your content to align with current search trends.
Optimize for On-Page Elements
Do you know? On-page elements (like: title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags) serve as crucial communication channels between your website and search engines. Why? These elements provide essential information about your page’s content. Why are well-optimized on-page elements required? Because contribute to a positive user experience by offering clear and relevant information.
Meta Title
Meta tiles or title tags summarize the page content concisely and accurately, attracting more clicks. These are some of the most crucial elements of SEO practice. Ideally, the character count of meta titles should range between 50-60.
Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions are the summaries of a webpage’s content that appears below the title in search engine results. You should keep the character count of your meta description between 150-160 characters.
Heading Tags
Headers are vital structural elements of a webpage. These are used to differentiate the headings (h1) and subheadings (h2, h3, h4) for different sections of the content. Using headers is the best possible way to increase the readability of your content.
Set Up 301 Redirects
Think of your website’s old pages as having built-up reputation points. These points help your website rank higher in search results. When you move a page to a new address, you want to keep those points. A 301 redirect is like forwarding mail. It tells search engines and visitors, “Hey, this page moved here!” So, the valuable points stay with the page, and people don’t get lost trying to find it.
Basically, 301 redirects help your website keep its rank and make sure visitors can find what they’re looking for, even if the page has a new address.
Update Your XML Sitemap
Imagine your website is a big house. An XML sitemap is like a detailed floor plan that tells search engines where all the important rooms are. This helps search engines find all the best parts of your house (website) quickly and easily.
Why is it necessary to keep the XML Sitemap updated? Keeping your XML sitemap up-to-date ensures that search engines can efficiently discover and index your newly redesigned website’s content. And you know what — A well-structured sitemap also improves crawling efficiency, allowing search engines to prioritize the most relevant pages.
Do a Technical Site Audit
Why Site Audit? It is indispensable for identifying and addressing potential SEO issues. What does site audit involve? Well, it involves a thorough examination of your website’s technical infrastructure to uncover problems such as
- broken links
- slow load times
- duplicate content.
The detected issues need to be rectified at the earliest. Because, only with the rectification of these issues, you can optimize website’s performance and enhance user experience (and we all know both of which are critical factors in search engine rankings).
Optimize Your Page Speed
Did you know? Website speed has a direct impact on both UX & search engine rankings. Why are slow loading websites not acceptable? Such websites frustrate users and lead to high bounce rates. What do Search Engines prefer? They prioritize fast-loading websites in their search results. So, optimizing your website’s page speed is essential for:
- improving user satisfaction
- boosting your search engine visibility.
Be Mindful of Internal Links
Let’s talk about the most under-rated component of SEO. Yes, you guessed it right — “INTERNAL LINKS”. Role of internal links? They play a vital role in both search engine optimization and UX. Hidden secrets that many SEO executives don’t know —
- By strategically linking to relevant pages within your website, you help search engines understand your website’s structure and content hierarchy.
- Additionally, well-placed internal links improve user navigation and encourage exploration, enhancing overall website engagement.
Conclusion
Kinex Media is a renowned, award-winning company that can assist you with the website redesigning process. If you’re short on time and want to skip the research without compromising on quality, Kinex Media is the answer. This website design agency provides top-notch services—the websites they design are sure to work wonders for your sales. When it comes to website redesigning, they ensure that the reasons behind your redesign are fully addressed. So, if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to feel frustrated after your website is redesigned, consider Kinex Media and let your website become a revenue-generating machine for you.