Plan a Successful Website Redesign With These 9 Expert Tips
Redesigning your website can feel like a daunting task, but it’s also an incredible opportunity. A refreshed website not only improves user experience but can directly impact your brand authority, SEO performance, and overall business success.
Whether you're working with an agency or tackling the redesign in-house, thoughtful planning is essential for smooth execution and achieving measurable results.
Looking to nail your website redesign—while keeping Houston responsive website design best practices in mind? Follow these 9 expert tips to create a site that looks great, performs well, and serves your business goals effectively.
What Does a Website Redesign Entail?
A website redesign is more than fixing outdated visuals or adding new images. It’s a holistic makeover of your digital presence, often focusing on functionality, responsiveness, SEO, and user experience. This process involves rethinking layouts, updating navigation architecture, and ensuring mobile responsiveness—especially since mobile traffic accounts for over 50% of all web traffic globally.
1. Define Your Goals Clearly
Before you start choosing fonts and layouts, ask yourself this critical question—what do you want to achieve with this redesign?
Typical goals might include:
- Enhancing user experience through responsive design.
- Increasing conversion rates and lead generation.
- Improving SEO rankings, especially for highly searched terms like "Houston responsive website design."
- Modernizing branding and staying competitive in your industry.
Write down measurable objectives, such as aiming for a 20% increase in time spent on page or achieving a 30% improvement in form submissions within six months. These goals will guide every decision throughout the redesign process.
2. Understand Your Audience
Your new website should be designed with your visitors in mind. Start by reviewing analytics on your current website.
- Where are your users located?
- Are the majority browsing your site via desktop or mobile?
- Where are they dropping off?
Beyond numbers, think about the personas visiting your site. Are you targeting tech-savvy professionals searching for complex solutions? Or perhaps small business owners looking for simple, easy-to-navigate platforms? Design for the specific needs of your audience to offer the best experience.
3. Audit Your Current Website
Not everything on your current website needs to go! Perform a content and performance audit to understand what’s worth keeping and what needs improvement. Ensure this covers elements such as:
- Content quality and relevance.
- Page load times and performance metrics.
- The effectiveness of existing CTAs (calls to action).
Identify pages with high traffic or strong SEO rankings. These pages should remain a priority during the redesign to avoid losing organic ranking or valuable user engagement.
4. Focus on Responsive Design
A responsive website design isn’t optional—it’s essential if you want to compete in the competitive Houston market. Responsive design ensures your site adjusts seamlessly to different devices and screen sizes without sacrificing functionality.
Why does it matter?
- Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search rankings.
- A better mobile experience translates to higher customer satisfaction.
- Over half of users will leave a site that isn’t mobile-optimized.
Work with designers and developers who specialize in responsive frameworks to future-proof your website.
5. Simplify Navigation for the User Journey
Website navigation plays a crucial role in how users interact with your content. When redesigning, always prioritize user-friendly navigation.
Tips for refining navigation:
- Keep the menu clean and straightforward.
- Limit the number of primary navigation items to 5–7.
- Use clear, descriptive labels like “Services” and “Contact Us” rather than generic ones.
- Include a search bar for easy access.
Remember, a seamless user experience directly correlates with conversions—so if users can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they’re likely to bounce.
6. Prioritize Speed and Performance
Even the most beautifully designed website won’t win points if it loads too slowly. Users expect sites to load in 2–3 seconds—or they’ll abandon yours for a competitor’s. Speed is also a crucial component of effective SEO strategies.
Here’s how to prioritize performance during your redesign:
- Optimize image sizes to improve load times without sacrificing quality.
- Use browser caching and compress web files when possible.
- Minimize the use of large code scripts and plugins that impact performance.
- Test your site rigorously using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
7. Update Branding Consistently
A redesign is the perfect time to reevaluate your branding. Ensure your new website reflects your company’s identity and creates a cohesive narrative across all digital platforms.
Key branding considerations:
- Use consistent typography and colors throughout the site.
- Incorporate your brand’s tone of voice in all content elements.
- Align website visuals with other marketing collateral, such as social media or print.
A strong, cohesive brand enhances trust and loyalty—two things every business needs.
8. Use SEO Best Practices throughout the Redesign
If you’re not careful, redesigning your website can hurt your SEO rankings—especially if content disappears or URL structures change. Follow these SEO best practices to maintain (and ideally improve) your visibility on search engines:
- Redirect old URLs to new ones with 301 redirects if page structures change.
- Conduct keyword research and incorporate terms like "Houston responsive website design" naturally throughout your content.
- Optimize meta titles, descriptions, and header tags for all pages.
- Use a clean and logical URL structure to improve navigation.
Test the redesigned site on Google Search Console to ensure everything is indexed correctly.
9. Test Thoroughly Before Launching
The moment of truth has arrived! Before you launch your redesigned site, conduct thorough tests to ensure it meets your performance, accessibility, and design goals. Some key areas to focus on include:
- Functionality across devices and browsers.
- Internal links, forms, and e-commerce functionality.
- Page load speeds and image rendering.
- Accessibility compliance for users with disabilities.
Gather feedback during this testing phase and make adjustments before going live.
Revitalize Your Online Presence Today
A website redesign is more than aesthetic changes—it’s an opportunity to elevate your online presence and better connect with your audience. From defining your goals to focusing on responsive design, following these steps will help make your redesign Journey a success.
Need expert assistance with your website re-design?
At SANRAM Marketing, we're dedicated to helping businesses in Houston navigate the complex and ever-evolving digital landscape. We leverage state-of-the-art tools and strategies to maximize your brand's online visibility and engagement.
Contact SANRAM Marketing now to find out how we can help you achieve your business goals through a powerful online presence.