Successfully redesigning your website
Redesigning a website is a key step in the digital life of a business or project. Whether it’s to modernize a design, improve user experience, or better meet market demands, this task requires careful planning. This article guides you through the essential steps for a successful redesign.
Letting go of your previous website
Defining your website’s objectives
Before starting the redesign, it’s essential to step back from the old site to objectively assess its strengths and weaknesses. Detaching yourself as much as possible is important to analyze the site objectively.
Your website should meet clear objectives: increasing conversions, improving brand awareness, or attracting a new audience. Identifying these objectives will help guide the redesign project in the right direction and prevent it from becoming unfocused.
Analyzing the strengths
It is important not to overlook the positive aspects of the old site. Are there elements that worked particularly well? Whether in terms of design, content, navigation, structure, or usability, take inventory of what can be retained.
Listing the improvements
After identifying the strengths, focus on the weaknesses. List the elements that are problematic: confusing navigation, important pages that are hard to find, outdated design, or a lack of modern features. These observations will form the basis for the priorities in the redesign.
Defining the personas
It is important to know as precisely as possible who the target audience of the website is, as well as to understand the profile of the users who are already visiting the existing site. We won’t plan the same features, tone, or graphic charter if we are addressing teenagers or business executives. If our current site is equipped with a tracking solution, it can be useful to analyze the collected information to define the typical visitor of your current site.
Preparing the content
A website is primarily a means of disseminating content. This phase involves evaluating what we already have and how to effectively structure it in the new version of the site.
Retrieving all the content
Next, we will need to gather all the content from the old site: texts, images, videos, downloadable documents, etc. It is important to centralize everything to have an overview of the existing resources. We will also need to add the types of content we want to see in the new version of the website.
Organizing your content
Once all the content is gathered, it needs to be classified and organized according to the new priorities. Which contents are still relevant? Which ones need to be updated or removed? This step allows for sorting and planning adjustments if necessary. It is also essential to prioritize this content. What does the user absolutely need to see/know? What is important, and what is secondary?
Deduce a sitemap
Based on the content, we need to define the structure of the site, which is the hierarchical organization of the pages. This structure should be simple, intuitive, and allow users to easily find what they are looking for. We will limit navigation to a maximum of three levels to access a page. For example, on the homepage, there can be a link to the product page (1st level), which can present a link to details about this product (2nd level), which can lead to a manufacturing process (3rd level). The more important a page is considered, the closer it should be in terms of navigation to the homepage.
Preparing the visual aspects for the redesign
Once the content is organized, it’s time to think about the appearance and user experience of the future site. Design plays a crucial role in how users perceive the identity of the site.
Aligning the graphic guidelines with modern trends
Web design trends are constantly evolving. We must ensure that the new version of the site reflects not only your visual identity (logo, colors, typography) but also current web standards, such as clean interfaces, readable typography, the presence of media, and the attention span for each message.
Reviewing the features
Users are becoming increasingly demanding in terms of interactivity and fluidity. We should consider introducing dynamic elements such as embedded videos, carousels, or animations, while ensuring that the interface does not become overloaded. Interactive or animated elements have the advantage of capturing the user’s attention, but we must be careful not to overdo it to avoid losing them. It’s all about balance and technical mastery.
Developing the site
Once the design and structure are approved, it’s time to move on to the technical stage of developing the website. This stage will encompass all the work that has already been done.
Selecting the CMS platform
Choosing a CMS (Content Management System) is crucial. WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, or a custom solution. Each CMS has its advantages. Select the one that best meets your needs in terms of flexibility, security, and ease of use.
Optimizing the site for mobile
With the rise of mobile, it is essential to design a responsive website. The user experience on mobile must be smooth and enjoyable, with loading times kept to a minimum. Any unnecessary information or media should be removed, retaining only a streamlined version that maintains the same essence as the desktop site.
Performances
The performance of the site is a determining factor for user experience and SEO. It is essential to focus on optimizations such as image compression, reducing unnecessary scripts, and choosing optimal hosting.
Staging
It is important to set up a pre-production version, called staging, which is identical to the final version, except that it is only available to the team working on the redesign and is deployed on a different domain name from that of the future site. It allows for correcting any possible defects, configuring the site, and entering the content so that the final site can be launched under optimal conditions.
Deployment
Development is complete, the staging version has been approved, and it’s time to deploy the site. This final phase is just as important as the previous ones, as it ensures a smooth transition to the new site.
Choosing a suitable hosting solution
Choosing the right hosting is fundamental to ensure the speed and availability of the site. One should opt for a solution suitable for the size of the site as well as its traffic, with robust backup and technical support options. It is generally always possible to upgrade the hosting plans to keep pace with the evolution of the website.
Redirecting changed URLs
During the redesign, some URLs may have changed. It is crucial to implement page redirects, known as 301 redirects, to avoid 404 page not found errors, preserve the SEO of the old site, and provide a seamless transition for users.
Setting up site tracking
To measure the effectiveness of the new site, it is important to set up tracking tools such as Google Analytics. This will allow you to monitor changes in your traffic, user behavior, conversions, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Conclusion
Redesigning a website is a necessary step to respond to market and technological changes. By following these methodical steps, from defining objectives to going live, including redesigning the layout and preparing the technical aspects, you ensure the creation of a high-performing site that meets your needs.