Website redesign questions and answers

The majority of clients who come to us for website design services aren’t actually looking for a brand new website. Most of them already have a website that is old, broken, out-of-date, or not functional. What they are looking for is a website redesign. There are many questions that come up when you’re redesigning an old website so I thought I’d do a post with some quick common questions and answers to help you figure out if a website redesign is the right course of action.

QUESTION: How long will my site be down while you’re redesigning it?
ANSWER: Hopefully not at all! In most cases, we can leave your existing site up until your new site is ready and often times we can transition your site with no downtime at all. In some cases, depending on the web host, it is impossible to avoid any downtime, but we make an effort to keep it as short as possible.

QUESTION: Do I have to change web hosts for a website redesign?
ANSWER: In most cases, no. We can work with a variety of web hosts. If you find that your web host isn’t meeting your needs, we’re happy to recommend some of our favorite hosts. You will need to know how to access your web hosting account in order to redesign your website.

If your hosting is with an old developer that you no longer wish to use, then you may have to find new hosting depending on your relationship with them. Similarly, if your site is hosted on an old server with old software, we may need you to upgrade your account in order to install and run newer software.

QUESTION: Is a website redesign cheaper than a new website?
ANSWER: Most of the time it’s not. Often times a redesign is just replacing an old website with something completely new, so while it’s the same company, same URL, same content, the site will be built fresh but maintain that brand, therefore the cost isn’t going to be different.

Occasionally we’ll do a website refresh, where instead of creating something brand new, we’ll just rearrange the layouts and colors and make other changes to enhance the website without doing a full design. This will often be less expensive than having something brand new, but not always.

QUESTION: What is the website redesign process?
ANSWER: It’s going to be very similar to our web design process, but it will include evaluating your current site and making changes/recommendations based on that. We’ll ask questions about what’s working with your current site, what’s not working with your current site and what kind of changes would you like to see. We can also look at your analytics to evaluate if anything on your website is doing really well or really poorly so we can make informed decisions about how to redesign your site most effectively.

QUESTION: Will my website get more visitors if I get a website redesign?
ANSWER: Maybe. I wish I could say YES! and be done, but the truth is that the design is only a small portion of drawing traffic to a website. So much depends on marketing your site – are you sharing on social media, are you running ads, have we done SEO?

The benefits of redesigning your website can be huge. When your website goes from looking like you made it yourself to something that makes you look like a pro, your customers are willing to pay more money for your services. Clients are more likely to hire you because your professional looking website helps to establish and build their trust.

Take a look at one of our recent website redesigns for Psychic Medium, Steve Spur. The before and after photos alone show how beneficial a website redesign can be.

And this redesign for InSpaceLLC makes a clear impact upon loading the new website.

Are you in need of a website redesign? Contact us today for a quote!