Website Redesign: 5 Ways to Make Your Project Easier


July 26, 2013

How to make your website redesign project easier.

As much as we would love to be able to hit a button and magically produce the business website everyone wants, the reality is that it takes a bit of time – and client input – to get a website redesign right.

As a web design client, there are a lot of things you can bring to the process that can make it easier for us to do our best creative work. Here are five ways you can help us do our jobs faster and create a better finished product…and a more successful website for you:

  1. Come into the process with a vision for your website. Most clients do this already, of course, but what we’re talking about isn’t necessarily a vision for the way your new website should look, but what it should actually do. Presumably, you want a new website because you’re looking for a new way to grow your company or make it more efficient. Let us know from the beginning how your website fits into your overall business plans, as well as how you plan to communicate with your prospects and clients, and we’ll be more prepared to ensure you get something that does just that.
  2. Be upfront with your preferences, feedback, and expectations. Providing initial preferences and expectations to your web design team can feel a little like your providing too much detail. However, the more we know about your thoughts and ideas, the more effective we’ll be. We will always provide you with our expert opinion and make our recommendations for success but we can’t read your mind. If you make everything clear from the beginning, the project will likely be a great success.
  3. Designate decision-makers. One of the things that never fails to slow down the web design process is having too many opinions, or none at all. Decide internally (before you initiate the project) whose opinions really matter, and who will make the final call. Collect all of your feedback before you communicate with your creative team so that you can avoid extra rounds of revisions. Having this kind of clear chain of command is a great way to get a consistent vision for your new website, and to avoid lost days and weeks going back and forth waiting for approval at every phase of the website. It can also ensure that you stay on budget.
  4. Have a content strategy. It’s not at all unusual for the design of a website to be complete, only for everyone involved to collectively look at each other with a blank expression once it’s time to fill in the content. Decide from the very beginning who will be responsible for writing the text, where it’s going to come from, and when you expect it to be ready. Waiting on copy can delay your business website’s launch by weeks or longer – and having the right message can make a big difference in your online profitability – so don’t overlook this important detail.
  5. Trust us. Just as it’s important that you be upfront with your opinions, remember that you hired your web design team because they know a thing or two about designing and building websites. What we’re really getting at is that you have to trust us a little bit from time to time, especially when we show you a something that may not be exactly the way you envisioned it. If you have an objection, say so, but be open to a conversation and let us show you what we can do by thinking out of the box a bit.

Of course, having the right web design team makes every step in the process easier and faster. I think I have one I can recommend. ☺

Are you considering a web design or redesign?

The effort poses many questions: What will make my site better and more effective? What do I absolutely need to take into account for my end users? Are there serious SEO issues or new search engine rules that I should watch out for? The following free eBook answers the most crtical questions related to a successful web redesign project:

  • Key elements and features “must-haves” for your homepage.
  • Critical steps to protect your SEO and content during a site redesign.
  • Steps you can take to improve your site right now while the redesign project is underway.


Do you have any suggestions for how to speed up a successful web design project?