Website Redesign Checklist 2020: The Ultimate Guideline

11-Steps Website Redesign Checklist for 2020:

1. Audit your current website
2. Setup a Temporary URL
3. Identify your goals
4. Find Inspiration (Look at Competitors)
5. Redesign Your Website
6. Responsive Design in 2020
7. Machine Learning
8. Optimize Your Site
9. AMP Ready Website
10. Test Your New Website
11. Partner With the Pros for Redesign and Development

Begin your website redesign project, with this step-by-step checklist for how to tackle a redesign without hurting search engine optimization (SEO) or your conversion rates. Learn our top design predictions for next year and our recommendations on the redesign. Two thousand nineteen could be the year your website sets a new business record.

’Tis the season … to think about how much better your website could be in 2020. Start planning your New Year’s resolution now with big ideas for how to revamp your existing business site. Get a jump-start on development processes such as website tracking and analytics to start shaping the website of the future.

Audit Your Current Website

Website redesign starts with your existing site. There are probably some areas where your website is strong and others that need reworking. Check your key performance indicators to see how you’re doing. Focus on things such as bounce rate, where you’re losing users, shopping cart abandonment, and conversion rates. If you aren’t sure how to successfully analyze your website, hire a professional to do it for you. This is an important step in the redesign process, as you need to see where you’re going wrong and brainstorm ways to reverse the trend.

While you need to stay on top on various key performance indicators for the best website performance possible, it’s important not to spread your efforts too thinly. It’s better to identify the areas of your website that need the most attention first than to try and manage a complete overhaul all at once. For example, if you’re not sure whether your bounce rate is having more of an impact on your bottom line than your abandoned cart rate, it may be worth doing some A/B testing to figure out which area will lead to the most overall improvement and focus your efforts there first.

Set Up a Temporary URL

Before you immerse yourself in the redesign process, you’ll need to ensure your current site remains up and running. This will prevent business losses as well as damage to your carefully cultivated SEO. One of the simplest ways to do this is to copy your existing website and set it up at a temporary URL. Then, make changes and updates to your site from the temporary URL. Once you finish, you can switch the domain and let your new site replace the old. Working with a developer can also help you redesign without hurting business.

Identify Your Goals

Next, identify the goals for your project. Why are you redesigning your website? Perhaps you’ve noticed clickthrough rates lagging in the past few months, or maybe everything seems fine with your existing site, but you want to make sure you’re ahead of the curve on upcoming trends for the New Year. Discuss with your team what you need your website to do in 2020. For example, you may want to prioritize user experience personalization to make deeper, more engaging connections with your customers. Mapping out your goals ahead of time can make for a seamless project later.

Identifying your goals also means keeping them in check and realistic. Be wary of “scope creep,” or the tendency many projects have of increasing their scope over time as new variables come to light. Once you start mapping the most important goals for your site, you’ll start recognizing which areas of it need the most attention. Address these issues before moving on to work on your next performance goal, otherwise you risk having those same issues crop up in the future in more troublesome ways.

Find Inspiration (Look at Competitors)

Once you’re ready to tweak your old site for something brand new, begin brainstorming the changes you want. Start by researching upcoming digital trends for 2020. Find out what tomorrow’s users are craving in a company and website. Look at innovative marketing techniques, the latest list of Google algorithm updates, current SEO best practices, and new keywords for inspiration for your redesign. Check out your competitor’s websites. What do you like? What don’t you like? Make a list of everything you’d like to see on your redesigned website. Then, find a developer that can make it come to life.

While it’s important to stay relevant and competitive, you need to avoid blending in with the crowd when it comes to trends. Remember: Modern consumers value authenticity more than almost anything else, so don’t let your brand lose its personality for the sake of pursuing the latest design trend. In some cases, less is definitely more. A dedicated consumer base will enjoy (and respect) your brand more for small, functional changes that offer value over a fresh coat of paint that mimics what other sites are doing.

Redesign Your Website

Now you’ll really dive into the redesign process. You will complete project planning and begin your user experience/user interface (UX/UI) redesign processes. This may include making aesthetic changes, updating outdated content, refreshing keywords, checking and replacing links, replacing old images, or making larger changes like total rebranding or migrating to a different host. Develop your redesigned site with help from a professional to make your project fun and easy.

A full website redesign may be an exciting and refreshing change of pace, but keep in mind that it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. You want to avoid disrupting your consumers’ expectations of your brand and offer them valuable changes instead. Focus on functional changes that enhance users’ experiences before anything else and save the aesthetic overhauls for last.