Now that you know your current website standing, it’s easy to set specific goals.

Remember that a good way to set your goals is using the SMART formula.

Let’s try it out:

• S: Specific goals

Your goals have to be specific in want, percentages and actual figures.

For instance; Increase in target audience conversion rate by 50%

• M: Measurable goals

Just like specific goals, a good goal should be measurable. If you say you want to increase by 50%, can you measure that to know if you’ve achieved it? If you can’t, then it’s not a good enough goal.

• Achievable goals

While website redesign promises lots of website improvements, it’s not a magical wand that takes away all your problems. If you’re a small business with a small budget and fewer resources, you can’t be expecting a million visitors in one month!

• Relevant goals

You have to ensure that your website redesign goals are relevant to your overall marketing strategy and goals. Always think of the bigger picture. In the end, what are the most important goals for your company? Once you answer this question, you must only set a redesign goal that will eventually lead you to the overall goal.

• Time-bound goals

This is where your roadmap comes in. Ensure that each goal is clearly reflected there. If you want an increase in website conversion rate after the redesign, you have to state how soon you want to have that rate. In one month? Two months after launch?

So a complete goal will look like:

• Redesign the checkout page to increase conversion rate by 20% after one month of the redesign launch.

It may have taken a while to come up with your SMART goal, but it’s worth it in the end.

1. Research your target audience

Before you can redesign a website, you have to study what exactly your audience wants, what you can improve, why exactly do they buy from your website, what is their favourite website and why.

You have to align your goals to elevate the user experience of your audience. You have to identify your target audience and align the redesign with their needs.

But how? It’s simple. You can ask them.

Find two loyal customers of your brand and ask them about your website. You can even create a survey form that users can download after using your site for an incentive. Maybe a discount or a freebie after they submit the survey.

That way, you’ll get honest reviews about what your users really want.

2. Review your brand guide

Your brand guide is that document that will direct the frontend part of your website redesign.

You have to review your brand guide again to ensure there’s no mismatch in your brand identity. Remember, customers can sniff a disparity as soon as possible.

Make sure to hand the guide to even the contractors and team members you’re planning to work on the project with.

Everyone needs to revise the elements of your brand. The content or copy writer needs a reminder of the brand archetype and tone of voice. The typography elements need to be adhered to.

You may even review some parts of the guide to reflect the new brand goals especially if there’s a rebrand or change in offering.

3. Perform a competition analysis

   
   

   There has to be a reason why users prefer your competitors’ website to yours.

The good news is that you can find out why. A competition analysis helps to keep you in check in the industry. You should gather and study information about your competitors' brands so as to know where to improve and what trends are available in your niche.

A competitive analysis will involve understudying their marketing tactics, website performance and outlook and basically what’s working for them.

Why do they have better conversion rates? Is it their compelling copy? Or do they have easier navigation? Increased accessibility? Or is it just plain luck? Hardly.

There are some ways to find out what’s working for hem and what oh can improve on:

Ask their customers; all you have to do is reach out to them and simply ask them what they love about their website.

Brainstorm with your team; remember, it’s not a one-man project and you can find lots of relevant ideas from just discussing with your team.

Perform an automatic website audit on their website using the same tools you used for yours.

Remember that no matter what you find out, it’s just a guide for you. Copying your competitors is the fastest track to failure.

4. Optimize your content

Your website content is the most important thing beyond even your visuals. Well, except you’re a design company.

In fact, blogs are responsible for 43% more Google indexed pages and 97% more index links.

Your content has to speak the same language as your website, it has to pass the right message.

It’s what makes your website memorable and increases the time users stay on your website.

Optimizing your content is hence a big deal and must be done strategically.

First, you have to identify what content types need optimization. Your blogs, webinars, case studies and even website copy need to be thoroughly looked through.

Use tools like AhRefs to find out why your content isn’t performing well and work on it. If you’re rebranding or offering a new product or service, you may need to change the primary keyword your site is ranking for.

This will require new blogs and optimising old blogs. Fix broken internal and external links. Also, make sure your content is engaging, actionable and logical.

Optimising your content brings about engagement and when there is high user engagement on your website, it will eventually drive traffic and sales.

5. Improve your website UI/UX

This is the bulk of your website redesign project, the  frontend part of all you have to do.

Improving user interface and experience involves enhancing the design and interaction elements of your website to create a positive and seamless experience for users.

User interfaces focuses on the visual elements users interact with, such as buttons, icons, colors, and layout.

Improvements in UI aim to make the design visually appealing, intuitive, and easy to navigate.

The user experience, on the other hand, deals with the overall experience users have with your website, including ease of use, efficiency, and satisfaction.

Improvements in UX involve understanding user behavior, addressing pain points, increasing accessibility and optimizing the entire user journey.

Finally, redesigning  the aesthetics and functionality of your website makes it more user-friendly, enjoyable, and effective in meeting user needs.

This can involve refining design elements, streamlining navigation, optimising site performance, and incorporating user and client feedback to create a more positive overall experience.

The Superflow feedback tool offers a means for increasing user engagement. Users can send feedback on the site’s performance. Project managers and even the designers can see this feedback and implement them for a seamless user experience.

1. Develop your site

The backend journey of your redesigning project is the core technical aspect. Your developers can work alongside the product designers to code, implement and build a framework upon which you can create a website that works.

Make sure to fix inherent technical issues and migrate your hosting platform if need be. They should ensure the website performs well.

Their duties may involve fixing the databases, architecture and site map structure. You should also implement quality assurance testing to optimise UI and UX.

2. Test and launch your site

Assess the website objectively as soon as your redesign process is completed.

You can also have a test period where customers can check out your site and leave feedback. This way, you’ll be sure to pick out important information you may have missed.

Test the website on several devices to note the responsiveness. Also, keep tweaking and optimizing till you have something perfect.

And then, you can go ahead to launch. You may announce your new website on your social media posts or just let everyone who visits the site know that it was recently launched and you’re still receiving feedback.

And just like Cristina Daroca, head of marketing at Riverbed said, Asking for results a day after a campaign launches is like going for a run and checking whether you lost weight the minute you get back.

You need to give it time to see the results you want.