With over 835 million websites using WordPress, making sure yours is the one that stands out is crucial. But, how can you do this? Redesigning your website. By doing so, you can refresh your business’s online presence and boost its performance.
However, not all people know how to do so and it can seem overwhelming at first, but knowing what to expect throughout the redesign process can help everything go smoothly. So, for those of you that are not tech-savvy but still want to reap the benefits of redesigning your website, here’s a simple breakdown of the key phases involved in a WordPress redesign and how to prepare for each one:
1. Setting Clear Goals
As with anything, it’s important to set clear goals before diving into a redesign. This means asking yourself questions like do I want to improve my SEO, enhance the user experience, or simply give my website a fresh new look? By defining your priorities, you can have a set guide for all the decisions about the site’s structure, design, and functionality.
For example, if you want to boost user engagement or increase conversions, these goals should be central to the redesign strategy. And if this wasn’t enough of a motivation, companies that start with well-defined objectives can see a 20% increase in traffic and conversions after their redesign. Don’t believe us? BaseKit achieved a 25% increase in conversions by simply redesigning their pricing page, while HubsPot increased conversions by 21% just by changing the color of their CTA button. (Impactplus)
2. Design and User Experience (UI/UX)
This may sound wrong but aesthetics aren’t everything. A website redesign isn’t just about making your site look great (although it’s a big plus), it’s about making sure it’s easy for visitors to use. This means making absolutely sure your website has a top-notch UX/UI by helping customers find what they’re looking for quickly and take action, whatever it may be.
And, with over 50% of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, it’s also important to redesign your site so that it works just as well on smartphones and tablets as it does on desktops, if it didn’t before. (Google)
3. Technical Execution and SEO Optimization
Another thing you need to keep in mind when redesigning your website is making sure it’s still SEO-friendly. And, while making it mobile-friendly definitely helps, your new design shouldn’t just maintain your search rankings, but also improve them.
This means optimizing your WordPress site for page speed and organizing its structure for better navigation, just to name a few tactics. If you’re not entirely sure whether you have these things in check, an SEO audit can help you catch and fix issues like broken links or outdated meta tags, all while making sure your website is easy for search engines to crawl and rank.
4. Content Strategy and Structure
Ah content, what would we be without it? In all seriousness, designing your site is the perfect opportunity to revisit your content strategy. This means evaluating what’s working, what needs to be updated, new ideas for content, and what pieces should just be eliminated.
This is extremely important for SEO because engaging, fresh content plays a huge role in it, and websites with a strong content marketing strategy can sometimes generate three times more leads than those that rely solely on paid search. (Contentoo) However, it’s not just about creating content for the sake of it, you also need to make sure that your website is structured in a way that makes it easy for users to find the most valuable information while also supporting internal linking to boost SEO.
Think about it, would you rather visit a site that has everything you need at the tip of your fingers, without having to work for it, or one that has everything clattered and all over the place? The answer is easy.
5. Testing and Staging
Think about a website you love, do you think the people that worked on it put it live the first time they made it? Absolutely not. Testing anything before you publish it is extremely important, as you don’t want your own users to see issues before you do. But, how can you make sure your website is 100% issue-free to publish? Luckily, there are what’s called “staging sites”.
These are websites that let you preview how the new design will perform without impacting your current site’s visitors. This is the time to make sure everything works perfectly, from new features to page load speeds. One common mistake businesses make, for example, is overlooking the importance of 301 redirects for any URL changes during the redesign, which can lead to broken links and hurt your SEO and UX. This is why testing is perfect for these occasions, because it gives you peace of mind that your site is ready for a flawless launch.
6. Launch and Post-Launch Optimization
If you think the redesign process was over, you’re far from being right. Once your website is live, the real work begins. How come? Now is the time to monitor key performance metrics like bounce rates, conversion rates, and user behavior. This is important because these will help you understand how well the redesign is performing.
It’s important also to keep an eye on your SEO rankings and continue to make adjustments as needed. This isn’t a set it and forget it task! Ongoing optimization is crucial to make sure that your website continues to meet your business goals and grows along with your company.
Final Thoughts
Redesigning a WordPress website is a major investment for any Los Angeles business, but when done right, it can lead to more traffic, better user experiences, and higher conversions. By doing everything we’ve seen today, you can make sure your redesign brings long-term success.
However, if you feel like this is a little bit out of your reach, you can get in touch with us at EpicDevs for expert assistance so we can help you create a website that’s built to perform from day one!
Contact us today to learn more.