If you haven’t read 5 Reasons Why a Website Redesign is Worth Considering, jump over and have a read before you continue with this one.
You open your website to update something simple… and you have no idea where to start. Or worse, you send someone your link and secretly hope they don’t look too closely.
Sound familiar? You’re definitely not alone, and it’s usually the moment people start thinking about a redesign.
A website redesign is a big project, but with the right approach it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s how I’d go about it.
Signs it’s time for a redesign
Most of the businesses I help with a redesign fall into one of these camps:
- You’ve outgrown your starter website. It did the job when you launched, but your business has grown and your website hasn’t kept up. Your services, prices or branding have changed, and your website still tells the old story.
- You can’t update it yourself. Maybe it was built by a team member, a friend or a previous designer, and nobody really knows how it works. If adding a blog post feels impossible, your website is holding you back.
- It doesn’t feel like you. Your website should reflect the personality of your business. If it looks like it could belong to anyone, your customers won’t connect with it.
- It’s on a platform that’s limiting you. Some website builders are great for getting started, but get tricky as you grow. Moving to WordPress gives you more control and room to expand.
A real redesign example
A recent client came to me with a website that had been built in-house by one of their team members. It had served them well, but nobody was quite sure how to update it or add new content.
On top of that, they’d renamed the business and needed their logo updated to include the new part of the name. They also wanted their website to show off the personality of their business, which the old website just wasn’t doing.
So we rebuilt it. We moved the website from the GoDaddy website builder to WordPress, gave it a fresh look that actually felt like them, and set them up with page templates and training videos on how to use and manage it.
The best part? Since handover, they’ve been looking after it themselves. That’s exactly what a good redesign should do… leave you more confident, not more dependent.
Choosing the right web designer
Not every web designer is the right fit for every business. Look for someone who:
- Takes the time to understand your business. A good designer asks about your goals, your customers and what’s not working now, before talking about colours and fonts.
- Builds something you can manage. Ask how you’ll update the website after launch. If the answer is “just email us”, be prepared to pay every time you want to change a sentence.
- Explains things in plain English. You shouldn’t need a tech dictionary to understand your own website project.
If you’re not sure what to ask, our free guide What You Need to Know Before Engaging a Web Designer walks you through it.
Getting started: your redesign game plan
Here are the steps I recommend before a single page gets designed:
- Work out your goals. What do you want your website to do? More enquiries, more bookings, fewer questions over the phone? Your goals shape every decision that follows.
- Get clear on your customers. Think about who’s visiting your website and what they need to find. Your website should answer their questions quickly, not just list everything you do.
- Audit your current website. Look at what’s working and what isn’t. Our free Website Self-Audit is a great place to start.
- Plan your pages. Write a simple list of the pages you need and how they connect. This becomes the map your designer builds from.
- Get your content ready. This is the number one thing that holds up a redesign! Our Essential Website Content series has tips for your Homepage, About Us, Contact Us, FAQ, Products and Services and Testimonials pages. We also have our Start Strong Kit that helps you to create the content needed for your website redesign.
- Gather your branding. Your logo, colours, fonts and photos. If your branding has changed, like my client’s new business name, sort this out before the design starts.
- Test before you launch. Check every page on your phone and computer, click every link and fill in every form. It’s much nicer to find problems before your customers do.
Don’t lose your Google rankings
This is one of the biggest redesign mistakes I see, and it’s an easy one to avoid.
Over time, Google learns the addresses (URLs) of your pages. If those addresses change during a redesign and nobody tells Google, it’s like moving house without forwarding your mail. Visitors land on error pages, and the rankings you’ve built up can drop.
To avoid this:
- Keep your page URLs the same where you can. If your services page lives at /services/, keep it there.
- Redirect any pages that change. A redirect sends visitors and Google from the old address to the new one automatically.
- Keep your best content. If a page or blog post brings in traffic, update it rather than deleting it.
This is especially important if you’re moving platforms, like my client’s move from GoDaddy to WordPress.
How a redesign works with Little Biz
- Chat. We talk about your business, your goals and what’s not working with your current website.
- Plan. We map out your pages and what each one needs to do.
- Content. You pull together your words and images (with our content guides to help).
- Design and build. We create your new website in WordPress, reflecting your brand and personality.
- Review. You check it over and we make any changes.
- Launch and handover. Your new website goes live, with redirects in place, and you get page templates and training videos so you can look after it yourself.
And if you’d rather not look after it yourself, we’re here for that too.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a website redesign take?
It depends on the size of your website and how quickly your content is ready. Having your words and images sorted before you start is the biggest thing you can do to speed it up.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I redesign my website?
Not if it’s done carefully. Keeping your page URLs where possible and redirecting any that change helps protect the rankings you’ve already built.
Can I move my website from a builder like GoDaddy or Wix to WordPress?
Yes. We regularly move websites to WordPress as part of a redesign, which gives you more control and flexibility as your business grows.
Will I be able to update my new website myself?
Yes. We build our websites so you can manage them, and we provide page templates and training videos to help.
So, is it time for your redesign?
A redesign isn’t just about a fresh coat of paint. Done well, it gives you a website that reflects who you are today and that you can confidently manage yourself.
So, when was the last time you looked at your website and thought “yep, that’s us”? If it’s been a while, have a look at our website design services or get in touch and let’s chat about your redesign. Not quite ready? Start with our free Website Self-Audit.
