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.

website rebuild

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.

rebuild website

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.

how to rebuild a website

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.

website overhaul

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.

tips for website 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.

FAQs about Website Rebuilding: 

  • What is a website rebuild?
  • How much does it cost to rebuild a website?
  • How often should you rebuild your website?
  • What does a website rebuilding entail?
  • Should SEO be part of my website rebuild?

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