The process of a website redesign can be a motivational time for companies. With a freshly redesigned website you open up opportunities to provide your customers with a new experience and way to interact with your brand along with the potential of getting new leads. It’s easy to want to jump right into a website redesign, to tell your story and create that new experience. But, before you you launch full on into this project it is crucial to set goals for the website redesign.

Businesses may decide to redesign their websites for various reasons. While some companies may choose to add more website functionality to meet their customers’ expectations, others may include new features or convert their main pages to search engine optimization (SEO). Every business owner should start by identifying the web design objectives in order to choose the right features and benefits. That said, here is a comprehensive guide on how to set goals and objectives for your website redesigning.

What Is Website Redesign?

The term website redesign can mean different things, based on the site’s needs and objectives. However, the general understanding of the term is the process of redesigning and redeveloping a company’s website by adding new features such as visual aesthetics like images, fonts, and SEO components. The process also involves updating old and outdated code as well as simplifying certainly things like mobile navigation.

The goal is to anticipate new customers and have fresh leads on the website. A company also needs to see how their new websites will look if they make a few changes, through things like split testing you can always find more effective ways convert your visitors into customers.

When Should You Redesign A Website?

The average business does not need a specific timeframe to consider a redesign for its website. However, the time taken to revamp a website depends on several factors, including the customers’ traffic and the niche in which the business operates. For example, technology, education, and product-based industries can redesign their websites every few years. On the other hand, some industries such as finance can take up to five years without revamping their sites.

So regardless, when you do decide it is time to rebuild your current website and you start to come up with a plan to get things rolling here are a few questions you can ask to help facilitate the redesign.

• Do your visitors find your site easy to navigate and get information?
• Do you provide meaningful, informative, and SEO-optimized content?
• Has Google indexed all pages on your site?
• Does your site have any broken links or bad backlinks?
• At what percentage are your visitors converted to sales?

Setting SMART Web Design Goals and Objectives

Once you have identified the right answers to the above questions, it is now the right time to redesign your website. However, building a functional and captivating website starts by setting your web design objectives and goals. Again, though most people use goals and objectives interchangeably, it is vital to note that the two are different terms that help you get to your future.

Goals are big, broad, and desired outcomes you wish to achieve in the future. They include creating a leading brand in your industry, recording a growth of 200% in two years, and tripling your brand’s social media following by 2023. On the contrary, objectives are specific and measurable steps that gear you towards your goals, bound by a timeframe. In short, objectives are driving factors towards your goals and form an integral part of your success journey.

Therefore, before getting to your website goals, you need to set SMART web design objectives following these steps:

Involving All Stakeholders

When redesigning your site, remember you are not doing it for yourself but all people that benefit from your website. These people include visitors, salespeople, consumers, and other businesses attached to your website. Therefore, involving all stakeholders in the website redesign process saves you time in backtracking later in case of unforeseen issues. This also ensures everyone beyond the managing staff is updated about the changes.

Gathering Information

Gathering reliable information involves asking the right questions to the relevant parties. You should also review all research findings to identify common wants and goals from different stakeholders. This ensures every player feels comfortable and part of the revamping process. Information is mostly gathered in two ways; stakeholder surveys and goal-setting meetings.

Once you have the relevant information from the team members, compare relevant data on your current website. The step involves analyzing the existing site to know the strengths and weak points. Collecting and analyzing data also gives you a big picture of where your site stands and helps you set realistic goals.

Setting and Sharing Goals

Now that you are ready for a website redesign and have your web design objectives, the next crucial step is setting website goals. Setting actionable and achievable goals involves two parts. The first part is creating general goals or starter statements towards specific targets. These general goals are mostly everyone’s aim when redesigning a website, including getting more leads and better site ranking.

The second part is writing down SMART goals. These are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART) goals that act as your referral point throughout your redesigning process. Your SMART goals should also work on three elements; leads, contacts, and customers. After setting the goals, please share with your entire team to ensure everyone works towards one goal.

The Bottom Line

Are you now ready for a website redesign? Wait. Don’t forget the most critical part of redesigning your site is partnering with a website design agency. Website redesigning is a complicated process if you decide to do it alone. However, to make it simple, you can get professional assistance to help strategize the entire process. This will also help you set realistic web design objectives and also help transition nicely into your newly redesigned website. For more information on how Firelight Interactive can help you achieve your website redesign goals, click here.