A website redesign is a crucial step in aligning your brand with the competition. We never get everything right when we first create a website. On the other hand, learn from your mistakes. A website redesign? Use it as an opportunity to do things correctly and dedicate all your time to it.
Introduction
Generally speaking, do not change what is already working and improve what is not.
If you want to redo your site’s design, do not do it randomly. Conduct research, create your personas, define your UVP (Unique Value Proposition), etc. A redesign built on these elements will be reflected in the copy and in the design and will without doubt bring you far more sales.
For your natural SEO, do not rewrite your URLs, or if you do, carry out redirection plans. Also, do not change all the text on your pages if you do not know what you are doing. Indeed, if your site is already getting organic traffic, you could just as well set your SEO back.
The Design of a Website
Look at the situation as a whole, as your audience sees it. Look at your brand. What if you took the opportunity to reassess your logo, your colour palette, and your message? It is time to refine your brand and align the design with the future, not the past.
Do not forget that a website’s design has a considerable impact on the impression your visitors have of your company (1 in 2 internet users judge the quality of a brand on the web primarily by its visual aspect).
Simply search for your services. Look at your competitors’ websites. Now look at your site. If your competitors’ design is much better than yours, do at least twice as well as them to be comfortable for a few years.
Keep your website fresh and competitive. A graphic redesign positions your brand for the future.
Why Do We Do Design? To Convert
Improving the design of your site is solely for the purpose of converting and retaining visitors. However, it is absolutely not the only way to convert visitors. Use a redesign to improve all possible levers.
Know Your Customers
Redoing a website while you still do not know your targets would be a shame. Use the opportunity to conduct research. Create personas, understand what you are selling beyond your products or services. Make a marketing effort for solid foundations. Then build your new site with a precise idea of what needs to be done, not randomly.
Copywriting and Storytelling
Once you know who you are designing for, continue on that good path and speak to them by targeting them. Tell your story the way they want you to tell it.
Conversion copywriting reflects your brand and lets visitors know that you can solve their problems.
Learn About UX (User Experience)
I am talking about genuine user experience. A better website starts with research. But that is only a starting point. Before putting your new visually high-quality version with a clear and precise message online, test your site on the relevant internet users. Once you have feedback, publish your site and monitor it. Set up A/B tests, heat maps, and analyse which CTA (call to action) gets the most clicks. Then repeat the process.
Tip: Use navigation maps, wireframes, and prototypes to plan an intuitive user experience.
Improve Your Site Speed
A well-built site also cares about clean development for a fast site. The speed of a site determines your success on the web. According to Google, a 0.1% increase in speed increases the conversion rate by 8%. A site with a response time of less than 3 seconds will allow you to convert at its best.
Improve Your Google Rankings (SEO)
Now that your site is ready to be a conversion machine, all that remains is to improve the number of visits to your site. What if you took the opportunity to review your natural SEO? Appearing on the 1st page of Google is a real asset, whether for obtaining new clients or even improving your brand image.
Kill two birds with one stone. When you create a site aligned with the psychology of internet users by understanding what drives them to act, you naturally obtain the keywords to target. You thus naturally develop your SEO strategy and you can also do it the other way around.
Being present on Google means finding qualified customers who are actively looking for your services. Why go and bother them with ads on their apps? Go and find them when they are looking for you.
For an excellent redesign on the SEO side, if possible the ideal is to go directly with techniques such as the semantic cocoon. It is the best way to beat all your competitors in the SERPs.
Setting Up Redirections to Avoid Broken Links
When the new site goes live, it is essential to set up redirections to avoid broken links. Redirections allow users who try to access an old URL to be redirected to the corresponding new URL, so they do not encounter a 404 error.
This will also help avoid a significant loss of SEO traffic. Ideally, avoid changing URL names altogether.
Creating Quality and Original Content for Better Search Engine Rankings
Search engines favour websites that offer quality and original content. By creating unique and engaging content, you maximise your chances of achieving a better ranking in search results. Even more so in the era of artificial intelligence and abusive content generation.
Do not forget to integrate the relevant keywords you have identified.
Review Your Digital Marketing Strategy
While SEO is an essential element of digital marketing, nothing stops you from thinking big. If you are a clothing brand, for example, posting images of your products on Pinterest would be a very good idea. Depending on your field of activity, there are many other channels to exploit to develop your brand.
Call on a Professional
The best solution is to call on an agency or a freelancer who will be able to guide you through all these processes.
I see many brands embark on a redesign without even being supervised by an SEO specialist. And this does not yield good results.
These are professions; they are not learned on the job, let alone during an ambitious brand redesign.
While all the elements mentioned are certainly complicated and time-consuming to carry out, know that this is a standard process we carry out at createur2site. Generally, we prefer companies in the midst of a redesign because they understand the stakes of a working website.
- Research is our starting point.
- Our websites are designed to be ranked.
- We carry out a comprehensive audit
In the meantime, we give you homework, from creating your personas to understanding your value proposition. Because ultimately, you know your brand best. Obviously, we accompany you through this process.
Web Design Is an Empathy Test
Bold and modern, or confidently old-school? Either way, we do not simply put your brand on your site. We reinvent your brand for the web.
- What colours attract the user?
- How do we guide them through the content?
- What evidence can we present?
- What visuals will convince them?
- What animations will move them?
- …
Optimise Your Website for Higher Conversions
Stimulate demand and increase prospects with a website aligned with the psychology of visitors. If things are difficult to find or your site is difficult to navigate, users leave. Help users find what they want and what you want them to see.
When your website allows people to easily achieve their goals, it is much more likely that you will achieve yours too.
Know your visitors. Know what drives them to act. Understand how to solve their problems. We will build websites that give them everything they need.