The Website Redesign Flowchart: Redesign or Optimize?

We’ve been writing a lot about redesigns lately. From planning and preserving your SEO to the steps of launching your website to a post-launch checklist, we’ve covered almost every aspect of a major website overhaul.

But what if you don’t actually need one?

Although a full redesign is sometimes the best option, needlessly redesigning your website can cause a significant loss in traffic and sales. The more you change the content, navigation, and design of your site, the bigger potential there is for disaster—and we’ve seen firsthand the amount of work it takes to correct a failed redesign.

At the same time, we’ve also worked with clients whose sales and traffic are hindered by dinosaur websites that kill potential with poor user experience, thin content, or outdated platforms. While it’s clear to us that these websites’ functionality flaws and mobile-unfriendliness require a total tear-down, the price tag on a website overhaul can be intimidating.

Working with what you have

Oftentimes, marketers can improve their digital marketing performance simply by optimizing what they have—whether that be through new calls to action, fine-tuned on-page elements, or content that better fits search intent. There are a lot of ways to optimize a website, so be sure to fully understand what you are trying to fix before diving in and tinkering. While it never hurts to apply sound SEO tactics to your website, you want to be sure you aren’t unintentionally undoing elements that are working. This is where a digital marketing pro can help. With auditing and analysis tools, they can pinpoint those areas that are most likely to improve your website’s rankings and traffic, saving you lots of trial and error.

What’s right for my website?

Considering the cost and months of extra work involved in a website redesign, knowing when a website can be salvaged and when to cut and run is crucial to marketers. We’ve created a flowchart to help walk you through the questions you should ask yourself when considering a website redesign, and our expert opinion on what to do next.*

*The information provided here is not intended to be a substitute for professional marketing advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment.

Banner photo credit: Von Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-W0104-014 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5371017

WEBSITE REDESIGN FLOWCHART

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