7 Critical Considerations to be Followed in Web Redesign

Redesigning a web-site will be inspiring but at the same time it should be remembered that focus should not be only on visual design of site. There is a need to take SEO, content and functionality into account along with visual design of site while redesigning. A site redesign will be successful only if visitors are converted into customers through traffic, conversions and functionality.

Following are the considerations that are to be implemented in site re-design:

1) Before you start, do research

If a re-designed page has to yield good results then we need to know whom we are targeting. Market research, keyword research, community mapping are to be focused while considering design, functionality and SEO. It should be noted from beginning of our plan so that it will be carried out in all aspects of redesign. Research on what has given us good results for the site at present and in the past. By doing this our site will be fueled with proven techniques and allow to estimate sites success in post-launch only.

2) Website Structure:

A redesign gives us an opportunity to reorganize the way our site is structured and it is just not to give a fresh look to site. There is a need to give priority in analyzing effectiveness of current site and for that we need to make sure that information architecture is only setup for optimal visibility and conversions. Those are:
Analyze which pages convert best?
Best and most common route through the site?
Are there any pages that have high bounce rate?

The above points help in improving architecture of the site. Other factors that are to be considered are site goals, personalization, site complexity, time frame and budgets. Each of these factors has their own advantages.

3) Canonicals and 301- Redirections

List out all the pages, incoming links and high ranking pages along with sub-domains from the beginning. It is important to redirect traffic to new pages or new URL as the URL structure is changed and this brings even SEO rankings as well. Using tools we can analyze from where incoming links are coming from and going to. After backward links list is ready they are to be mapped along with all pages to new URL with the help of 301 redirections. At the same time it is best to implement canonical to avoid duplication.

4) Navigation:

There will be a significant effect on visibility and success of re-designed website basing on how humans, search engine spiders can navigate site. A site structure has to be considered from two points:

• How your site will be noticed by people?

　　　For people to find the site URL structure plays a vital role. That is in URL structure we need to consider whether it is designed without any unnecessary characters, is it shortened? Are target keywords placed in URL? Redesigned URL structure and site map have to make search engines know what each page is about and each campaign should have most important terms in it.　　　

• Once visitors view our site how will they navigate?

　　　Note visitors flow and consider the entry pages to site, what visitors need to do once they are at primary pages, how should be they directed in order to complete that action, is there any way to shorten the action and at same time increase conversions? By considering all these points and improving them will drastically improve performance of the site.　　　

5) Where to fit the Content on the pages?

A site’s success or failure is based on quality, visibility and relevance of the content. So it is an important consideration in site redesign. One of the basic considerations in what type of content has to be published on the site is:

• Is there any plan to place a blog in the site?
• Whether the content in blog will be mostly visible or else it contains long informative articles?

Another important thing is that whether content is placed in sites other than blogs that are:

• Are there any chances of publishing white papers, eBooks, and video tutorials?
• In that case how will they be delivered, should return email address be placed in it, is it public or available only to members?

6) Technical SEO:

In technical SEO we need to consider the following three key areas in re-design they are:
 1. Page load times
 2. Compliance
 3. Coding

7) Testing:

Testing of the site is very crucial and certainly gives out great advantages.

So it is very important to consider all the above points and implement them in redesigning of the site.