4 Tips for A Successful Website Redesign

Your website has been up for a year or two. As you’ve flitted around the web since then, you’ve seen amazing website designs, innovative conversion ideas, and exciting new capabilities. Before you know it, you’ve got a bad case of the “I wanna’s” and you’re ready to start tacking new buttons, animations, and gadgets onto every page of your website.

Before you jump into a redesign with both feet, however, take some time to remember why you have a website in the first place: conversions. In order to make your website work for you, conversion optimization in website redesign should be your goal in each stage of the process. Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Define Your Purpose

Conversion optimization in website redesign depends on knowing what purpose each page of your site fulfills. Remember that a lot of people use your website, and those people may become frustrated if you start making changes that seem random and purposeless. Each change you make should help the page in question better fulfill its purpose.

2. Have a Plan

Great websites require concrete planning. Ask yourself these questions: When do I want to complete this project? How much am I willing to spend on each phase? What tools do I need to purchase or update to accomplish my goals? Who will be in charge of moving the project forward? Am I willing to involve an outside design company? Don’t add a single new button until you know the answers.

3. Consider User Expectations and ADA Standards

As the web has evolved, certain unwritten rules have developed regarding website design. Things like including an “about us” button, keeping navigation adjacent to text, and including a linked logo in the top left corner of the page all promote conversion optimization in website redesign and help users feel at comfortable with your site. Don’t forget to comply with ADA standards that make your website user-friendly for the disabled.

4. Test Now and Later

As you’re setting up your plan, test your current website design to find out what works well and what doesn’t. Get feedback from your target audience and take advantage of web analytics to understand current traffic patterns and usage data. Continue testing throughout the redesign process by asking for feedback, offering a beta version before the actual launch, and posting a preview page for readers to review.

As you work toward conversion optimization in website redesign, remember to make changes in increments to avoid overwhelming and frustrating your audience. By instituting changes gradually, you’ll keep your website familiar to your users and they’ll be more likely to offer constructive feedback.