10 Tips to Ensure a Stress-Free Website Redesign

1. Don’t cheap out. And don’t overpay.

   You usually get what you pay for. If you go for the cheapest alternative, you can’t be surprised when you receive an unsatisfactory result.

   And too often, you actually don’t even get what you pay for. We hear plenty of horror stories about sites that died halfway through because a developer was in over his head, couldn’t hack it, & ran away screaming, leaving the client high and dry, with no refunds.

   If you cheap out, you’ll regret it – for many of the same reasons that your customers would regret it if they chose a cheaper alternative over your business. Whether quality, content, effectiveness or professionalism & customer service, something important will suffer.

   But we’re not saying you should go pay a premium either. Don’t pay inflated rates because an agency has an impressive address, bloated overhead, or a jaw-dropping client list. There are reasons some agencies charge a fortune, and none of those reasons is because it’s in your best interests. Find an agency that can offer top-notch talent and expertise, but without the steep price tag. *Ahem* we happen to know an agency like that.

2. Plan ahead.

   It takes longer than a week to build a great site. So if that tradeshow has been on your calendar since last year, don’t procrastinate – start working on the new site several months beforehand. Plan for the time you’ll need in order to do the project justice – ensuring prompt revisions or approvals, making time to generate content, etc. A typical website redesign takes around 2 months, so prepare accordingly.

3. Delegate internally.

   As a small business owner, you have a thousand and one things to do, and you’re constantly juggling priorities. Do you really have time to agonize over every word of your new site?

   Delegate approval authority to someone in your organization that you trust, and make them the point of contact for the project. Weigh in on the design & key messages, and be as involved as you can be, but don’t let things get held up because you’re too busy doing the other aspects of your job that no one else can perform. Plan so that early in the process, you’ll be able to step back & let go of the nitty gritty details.

4. Trust externally.

   Trust your online marketing agency as the experts in web design, web content, site architecture, etc. Much like me, what you think is cool might be way, way off. The agenda or priorities you push for could actually be (unintentionally) detrimental to your site’s mission.

   Find an agency that gets you, your business & your customers, and who gives you confidence in their expertise, so you know they won’t steer you wrong. And then, if they say your logo shouldn’t be bigger, or that a singing fish isn’t a good idea, take their word for it. Trust the experts to do what they do best, while you do what you do best.

5. Set a deadline – and stick to it

   Give yourself a sense if urgency, so that you’re forced to prioritize this important work. Set a (reasonable) timeline and don’t let the project get bogged down. Be responsive & diligent, as you should expect your agency to be. Likewise, don’t let your agency be content to leave your project in purgatory either, and if you find that they’re not being attentive to your project, fire them.

6. Will it blend?

   When redesigning a site, don’t try to combine the new look & feel with stale or outdated visuals. If your existing photography is grainy, poorly lit, inconsistent, or otherwise antiquated, don’t try to blend it with a great new site design. Spring for new photography. The same goes for your logo – don’t slap a cringe-worthy old logo onto an otherwise glorious new site. Spring for a fresh one.

   We don’t just recommend this so we can make more money – we actually recommend it so that you can make more money – increasing credibility and conversions by showing visitors that you care about doing things right.

7. 1 Cook in the Kitchen

   Everyone in your company shouldn’t be weighing in on the site’s design. Neither should your mom. Only key stakeholders should be writing content, determining functionality, or otherwise making website decisions. And if at all possible, establish and empower a single point-person to make decisions.

8. Remember: changes cost money

   When you have a site redesigned, you’re paying for creativity, expertise, and above all, time. So pay close attention to the revisions allowed in your contract, and if you’re on a budget, resist the urge to make additional changes unless you feel they’re absolutely necessary and you’re willing to pay for the additional time required. That way, things won’t get ugly when you receive your final invoice. And be sure to choose a web design agency that cares more about your best interests than about finding ways to pad those invoices with costly unnecessary extras.

9. Don’t agonize. Things aren’t set in stone.

   We’re not suggesting that you settle for mediocrity – but we recommend that you don’t agonize over every little detail in your content before launching. This isn’t a nuclear reactor, folks.

   There is a tendency to treat a website like it’s set in stone, so that everything must be absolutely perfect before it goes live. But remember – you have a CMS now. If a word isn’t quite right, or an image could be better, etc, don’t hold up the site launch unless it’s mission-critical. It’s common for clients to leave their abomination of a current site up for far too long, simply because they get hung up on a minor detail of their vastly superior new site. Remember that every moment that the new site is delayed, your current site is what users see. Don’t sweat the small stuff – launch the site & get it out in front if the customers’ eyes. You can always tweak it later.

10. Invest in a return in investment

    Whatever you do, don’t treat the website like a big launch event, & then remain with business-as-usual after that. Just because you built it doesn’t mean they’ll come. So invest in an online marketing/SEO program that can begin shortly prior to launch, and continue as long as it’s getting results. The ROI you’ll see will be phenomenal.

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