Read This Before Rebuilding Your Website

So, it’s time to rebuild or redesign your site. You know that it needs to improve, but you’re not sure where to start. That’s totally understandable! If you aren’t a professional web designer or developer, a website redesign is a daunting process. In this article, we will take you through the step-by-step process for how to rebuild your website.

We’ll help you decide which are the most important aspects for you to focus on in your own rebuild. Perhaps your website is slow, has a high bounce rate, or just isn’t up to the standards your customers have come to expect. Maybe your competition’s website is beating you in every possible way. Or maybe it’s just been a few years and it’s time for a refresh. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Everything You Need to Know about Website Rebuilding

First of all, what is a website rebuild? A website rebuilding is the process of updating the look, feel, and experience of a website, in addition to the technology its using and its CMS, or content management system. It is recommended that a website should be redesigned every three to four years in order to keep up with the latest tech and trends. If you choose to have a professional rebuild your website, you can expect it to cost in the thousands of dollars. However, several factors affect the cost of a website rebuilding, like the site’s page count, functionality, and other unique needs. It’s best to get an estimate from a professional.

How to Rebuild Your Website

Here are 10 tips to keep in mind as you embark on your website redesign process:

Improve User Experience

The first step of any website redesigning strategy should involve the user experience, or website UX. Website UX is all about how visitors experience your website. A poor user experience can contribute to a high bounce rate, which is the last thing you want. If someone visits your website and dislikes it, chances are they won’t return.

Make a Good First Impression

Just like on a first date or a job interview, you only get one chance at a first impression with your website. So make sure it’s a good one! You want to wow visitors as soon as they click through to your home page. If someone visits your website and isn’t impressed, they’ll head right back to Google and search for another site they like more.

Make Your Website’s Purpose Clear

What is your ultimate goal for whoever visits your website? Do you want them to make a purchase, book a service, or download a free ebook you’re offering? Whatever it is, make that clear from the start of the person’s visit to your site. Forget ending with a strong call-to-action. Instead, open with a strong call-to-action.

Optimize Your Website for Mobile

Did you know that mobile phones account for half of all web traffic worldwide? That is why it is imperative that your website is optimized for mobile. Many older websites aren’t, and that is where they lose visitors. (If you’re not sure if your website has been optimized for mobile yet, Google provides a free Mobile-Friendly test so you can check.)

Ask Your Customers and Web Visitors for Feedback

What do the people who use your website most often like and dislike about it? What would they like to see from it? Before you get started with your redesign, ask trusted employees, your most frequent customers, and even friends and family for feedback. You can even add a feedback section to your website before you begin your rebuild to ask customers for their honest opinions. In addition to getting helpful advice, this process also makes your most important customers feel valued and like their opinion matters to you.

Integrate or Update Your SEO Strategy

It makes sense to overhaul your SEO strategy while you’re also overhauling your website, right? Consider your SEO practices and what you’re currently doing to improve your search ranking. Search engine optimization is an ongoing process. You may want to consider an SEO analysis of your website to see how you can improve.  An SEO strategy is necessary if you want your website to reach its target audience.

Utilize SEO Website Design

When we think of SEO, most of our minds immediately go to keywords and website content. However, it’s important to integrate SEO techniques into your web design, too. You want visitors to be able to move about your website and find what they need easily and intuitively. Make this as easy as possible on them with an easily navigable site.

Plus, your website also needs to be easy for search engines to crawl so that all of your content is indexed. Plus, don’t forget to make sure your website is quick to load. People often get frustrated with slow-loading websites and rather than wait, go find another website instead. And don’t forget to optimize your visual elements when you work on your website design, too. Add meta descriptions to your photos.

Update Your Branding

If it’s been a long time since you last updated your website, there is a good chance that your branding is out-of-date, too. Is it time for a refresh? Perhaps a new logo? It’s equally important to make sure your branding is consistent across not just your website, but across your business as a whole. That means online, in person, on social networks, business cards, and more. Excellent branding can take your business to the next level and make it easier for customers to remember you for next time (and for making recommendations to friends and family.)

Add Social Sharing Buttons

Does your website have links to all of your social networks? Do your blog posts have social sharing buttons so your readers can easily tweet your article? Or post it on Facebook? Perhaps when you first built your website, social media wasn’t as prevalent as it is now. But these days, social sharing buttons are a must-have for any website.

Create an Email List

If you don’t already have an option on your website for visitors to add their email to your email newsletter list, you need to add one right away. Email marketing is a great way to stay in contact with your customers, tell them about your latest sales or promotions for your product or service, and build your relationships with them. It is an integral part of any digital marketing strategy these days.

Bonus Tip: Add Google Analytics

Now that you have redesigned your website (congratulations!) you need to make sure it is successful. How? By monitoring your site’s analytics with Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to see how users find and use your website. We recommend that all of our clients use Google Analytics so they can quickly and easily see any issues as they arise and monitor their site’s progress, particularly after a rebuild.

Start Your Website Rebuild with SEO Design Chicago

If you need help with your website redesign or rebuild, contact the experts at SEO Design Chicago today! Our web developers are ready to help you achieve your goal and help you with your website redesign project. We can help you reach your business goals.

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Rebuilding

1. How long does it typically take to rebuild a website?

Website rebuild timelines vary significantly based on complexity, size, and scope. A simple business website with 5-10 pages might take 4-8 weeks, while a complex e-commerce site or custom web application could take 3-6 months or longer. Factors affecting timeline include the number of pages, custom functionality requirements, content migration needs, design complexity, and how quickly feedback and approvals are provided. The process typically breaks down as follows: planning and strategy (1-2 weeks), design phase (2-4 weeks), development (4-12 weeks), testing and revisions (1-2 weeks), and launch preparation (1 week). Having content, images, and requirements prepared in advance can significantly speed up the process.

2. Should I rebuild my website all at once or can I do it in phases?

Both approaches have merit depending on your situation and budget. A complete rebuild offers consistency in design and user experience, better SEO strategy integration, and often more cost-effective development. However, phased rebuilds can be beneficial if you have budget constraints, want to minimize business disruption, need to test user response to changes, or have a very large, complex website. If choosing a phased approach, prioritize the most critical pages first (homepage, key landing pages, contact pages) and ensure each phase maintains design consistency. Consider user experience throughout – avoid having dramatically different designs coexist on the same site.

3. How much should I budget for a professional website rebuild?

Website rebuild costs vary dramatically based on complexity and provider. Simple template-based rebuilds might cost $2,000-$10,000, while custom designs typically range from $10,000-$50,000. Complex e-commerce or enterprise websites can cost $50,000-$200,000 or more. Factors affecting cost include number of pages, custom functionality, e-commerce requirements, content management system complexity, mobile optimization, SEO integration, and ongoing maintenance needs. Don’t forget to budget for additional costs like professional photography, copywriting, SSL certificates, hosting upgrades, and post-launch marketing. Get detailed quotes from multiple providers and ensure they include all necessary features and post-launch support.

4. What happens to my current SEO rankings during a website rebuild?

A well-planned website rebuild shouldn’t negatively impact your SEO rankings, but poor execution can cause significant drops. To protect your SEO during a rebuild, maintain the same URL structure when possible, implement proper 301 redirects for any changed URLs, preserve existing high-performing content, maintain meta titles and descriptions that work well, and ensure the new site is mobile-friendly and fast-loading. Create an SEO transition plan before starting, use staging environments for testing, and monitor rankings closely after launch. Consider working with SEO professionals during the rebuild to ensure best practices are followed and rankings are protected or improved.

5. How do I handle the content migration from my old website?

Content migration requires careful planning and execution. Start by auditing your existing content to identify what to keep, update, or remove. Export content from your current CMS if possible, or manually copy valuable content. Update outdated information, improve SEO optimization, and ensure consistency in tone and style. For images and media files, maintain file names and alt text when possible to preserve SEO value. Test all migrated content thoroughly, check for broken internal links, and verify proper formatting. Consider this an opportunity to improve content quality, remove duplicate or low-value pages, and better organize your site structure for improved user experience.

6. What should I do to prepare my team and customers for the website rebuild?

Communication is key to a successful rebuild. Internally, assign clear roles and responsibilities, establish approval processes for design and content decisions, and ensure key stakeholders understand the timeline and their involvement. Create a content gathering plan and designate who will provide text, images, and other materials. For customers, announce the upcoming changes through email newsletters and social media, highlight the benefits they’ll experience, and provide a timeline for when changes will occur. Consider creating a “coming soon” teaser or preview to build anticipation. Plan for potential temporary disruptions and have customer service ready to address any concerns during the transition.

7. How do I choose between different content management systems (CMS) during a rebuild?

Choose a CMS based on your technical expertise, budget, scalability needs, and long-term goals. WordPress is versatile and widely supported, perfect for most business websites and blogs. Shopify excels for e-commerce with built-in payment processing and inventory management. Webflow offers design flexibility without coding requirements. Consider factors like ease of use for content updates, available plugins/extensions, SEO capabilities, mobile responsiveness, security features, and ongoing maintenance requirements. Think about who will manage the site long-term and choose a system they can handle comfortably. Custom CMS solutions offer maximum flexibility but require significant technical expertise and ongoing development costs.

8. What metrics should I track to measure the success of my website rebuild?

Track both technical and business metrics to measure rebuild success. Key performance indicators include page load speed (aim for under 3 seconds), mobile usability scores, SEO rankings for target keywords, organic traffic levels, bounce rate improvements, and conversion rate changes. Monitor user engagement through time on page, pages per session, and user flow patterns. Track business metrics like lead generation, sales conversions, email signups, and customer inquiries. Use Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights for comprehensive monitoring. Establish baseline measurements before the rebuild and monitor progress for at least 3-6 months post-launch to identify trends and areas for continued improvement.