If you run a website, chances are you often wonder whether it is the right time to do a total website redesign. Everyone falls guilty to this feeling throughout the life of a website. In-fact – Rapid Purple has went through 3 different designs now over the years. However there are some important points to consider when you find yourself thinking of doing a website redesign:
First off are you thinking of a redesign just for the sake of it? If you answered yes to that question, it is not yet the right time to do a redesign. Remember, a design serves a specific purpose. If you are not sure whether to do an overhaul of your site, keep in mind that your current design might have a specific purpose that you might not know about. You will lose that function if you do a redesign.
On the other hand, if your website has had the same website design since 1990, perhaps it is high time to do a redesign. The last thing you would ever want to happen to your site is when visitors leave your site without taking a look at your content just because the design is old fashioned.
Or let’s say you’re expanding your website’s main structure – adding some new area’s and sections that your current website layout simply does not have the room the support.
If either of these situations is your case, here are some points to ponder before doing a redesign.
Redesigning your website is like performing plastic surgery on it. Your website loses its current identity (for the better or worse) and your regular visitors might not recognise your new design at first glance. You risk losing them just because they thought they landed on the wrong page. Hence, it is very important that you retain a characteristic feature from your old layout. Perhaps it is the logo of your site; perhaps it is the same text style for the title for your site.
Make sure that you focus on a proper navigation design for your website. I had just recently published an article discussing the importance of a good navigation design when it comes to designing a website. You’re visitors need to be able to quickly see where they’re old favorite sections are, and what your new additions are.
To play it safe, put a poll on your site to let your visitors do the talking. If they think it is necessary for the website to have a fresh look, give it to them! Ask them what they would like to see, ultimately they’re the ones your doing the website redesign for.