5 Tips Series

In a world determined to keep us scrolling, I provide meaningful, actionable quick reads to support you throughout your web design project.

5 MINUTE READS

500 WORDS

5 reasons not to redesign your website

June 19, 2023

A website redesign is an exciting project, and there are plenty of reasons why it could be the logical next step for you (check out my post 5 signs you’re ready to upgrade your homemade website).

But a new website won’t wave a magic wand over your business – there are reasons why it might not be the right choice at this point in time, and steps you can take if you’re not quite at that stage:

1. You don’t have time

A website redesign is a big, exciting job. It’s also a collaborative process and most web designers will expect your input at various points throughout the project. You can outsource work to reduce the pressure, but the experts you hire will need you to make important decisions and attend meetings. Iterative design processes, user testing, and feedback incorporation also take time to implement and refine. It’s important to set aside time to spend on your project so you can do it justice.

2. You don’t have the budget yet

Designing a successful website begins with research and planning. This involves understanding your target audience and their needs, setting your business objectives, mapping out user flows, wireframing, and prototyping to ensure intuitive navigation and seamless interactions. To create a great, multipage website, you should expect to pay upwards of £5,000, which might not be a budget you have at the moment. While your client base grows, why not consider creating a new landing page or one page site instead, which you can build on as your business scales. It is always better to work in phases than to either overcommit financially or opt for a less experienced designer.

3. Your currently website is converting brilliantly

Your existing website might have optimised conversion elements, such as well-placed calls-to-action and user flow. Redesigning without careful consideration can potentially impact conversion rates and sales. A website redesign can also impact your search engine rankings in the short term. If your current website performs well in search results, a complete overhaul might lead to temporary fluctuations in rankings and traffic. These factors can be taken into account at the website planning stage by your designer, but they’re worth keeping in mind.

4. You’re hoping it will increase sales

Redesigning alone does not guarantee an increase in sales. Strategic marketing, content optimisation, and other factors play crucial roles. Expecting a redesign to magically solve all business problems is unrealistic.

5. You’re feeling left behind

While it’s important to be aware of competitors, redesigning your website because they have redesigned theirs may not align with your unique brand identity or user expectations. Wanting a fresh look is understandable, but a complete overhaul without assessing the existing design’s strengths and weaknesses may disregard valuable user familiarity and disrupt user experience, and prioritising visual appeal over usability and functionality can lead to a design that hinders user experience and fails to communicate your message effectively.

A website redesign should be driven by clear objectives, user needs, and data-driven insights to ensure it aligns with your brand, enhances user experience, and supports your business goals.

If you would love to get started on your website redesign, send me a message at hello@the-highboard.com.

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I would love to support you.

You are a hard working, well-qualified and experienced professional. You have expertise and confidence in your skills and you are well-respected in your field. You have loyal clients and have worked hard to develop strong relationships with them.

Now, you’re at a crossroads. You want to increase visibility and drive traffic to your site, targeting your ideal clients and boosting your revenue, but you feel self-conscious about the current iteration of your website and that’s stalling your marketing efforts. In the past, you put pressure on yourself to do it all on your own and you worked hard to create the website you have now, but you know in your heart you need a more sales focussed and professional website to attract the clients you want to work with.

You want to work with an experienced and supportive website design expert who can guide you to a more polished and professional site that works harder behind the scenes.

You’re not about busy, chaotic websites and endless sales scripts – you are strong enough and confident enough in your expertise to say all you need via meaningful copy, on-brand imagery and glowing testimonials.

In a world determined to keep us online, you speak volumes by representing your brand with confidence, clarity and style. By letting your hard work speak for itself without sneaky sales gimmicks. By respecting your clients’ time (and your own) and allowing them to access the information they need in a way that feels both intuitive and joyful.