“Our website looks outdated” is a common reason to redesign, and sometimes it’s the right one. But if the real problem is that the site isn’t bringing in enquiries or sales, a fresh coat of paint won’t change much. Before you brief a designer, work through these ten questions.
Goals and audience
- What should the website achieve? Pick one main outcome (enquiries, bookings, sales or applications) and make every page support it.
- Who is it for? Write down your two or three most important customer types and what each needs to know before contacting you.
- What are people asking you repeatedly? The questions your team answers every week belong on the website.
What’s working today
- Which pages already bring visitors? Check your analytics and Google Search Console before changing anything. Pages that rank well should keep their addresses, or be redirected properly, so you don’t lose that traffic.
- Where do visitors drop off? A page with lots of visits and no enquiries tells you more than any opinion in a meeting.
Experience
- How does it feel on a phone? Open your site on an average Android phone using mobile data. If it’s slow or awkward there, that’s what most visitors experience.
- Is the next step obvious? Every page should make it clear how to call, message, book or buy.
- Can people trust you? Real photos, clear contact details, genuine examples of your work and a proper privacy policy all matter more than clever animations.
After launch
- Who will keep it updated? Choose a setup your team can actually edit, or agree who will maintain it.
- How will you measure success? Decide now which numbers you’ll check a month after launch, such as enquiries, calls or sales, so the redesign can be judged on results rather than looks.
Redesign or refine?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you may find you need a full rebuild. Or you may find that clearer service pages, faster loading and better calls to action would solve most of the problem for a fraction of the effort. Either way, you’ll go into the project knowing exactly what it needs to fix.
Planning a redesign? Tell us about your project and we’ll recommend the right next step, even if that means starting smaller than you planned.