Thinking about redesigning your website? Whether it’s because you have gone through a rebrand or your website simply looks like it was made in the 90s, you should prepare for a daunting task. It can be overwhelming once you consider all the things you need to do, but you can make the process easier if you build a solid foundation first. Here are six steps to make your website redesign more efficient.

1. Focus on your personal and business goals

Before you change even a single element on your blog, you need to be sure of your personas and goals. Defining your personas enables you to align the redesign process with the expectations of your target audience. The last thing you want is to base your decision on your gut and realize later the redesign only made things worse. You should also be clear about the goals you want to achieve and lay out the mechanisms to measure success once the redesign is complete.

2. Allocate enough time

Even minor enhancements can take a while. For example, changing the colors of your call-to-action buttons requires split testing to see what results in a high-converting blog. This applies in particular if you’re doing everything yourself. When working with professionals, you may still want to expect things to go longer than you think. This is much better than rushing through the process and taking shortcuts.

3. Consider getting professional assistance

Think you’re an expert at creating a website using WordPress? Well, you might want to hold your horses. There’s a reason why there’s an entire industry dedicated to building websites and improving the user interface.

If you’re already juggling several things in your hands, then hiring web design professionals may prove to be the most cost-effective option. Of course, you can try it out but the important thing is that you be honest when it’s time to enlist the services of the pros.

4. Be specific about what you like

Whether you’re doing things on your own or working with professionals, it helps to be crystal clear about what you like and doesn’t like. When the web designer shows you something, don’t just say “I don’t like it.” Instead, tell the person what changes you expect. This is much more productive, cutting the time it takes to present you with the design elements you’re looking for.

5. Understand the different processes within the entire website redesign process

Redesigning your website consists of three different processes: the architecture, the design, and the implementation. Doing things simultaneously in an attempt to complete the process quickly might produce the opposite effect.

It’s helpful to start with a sitemap to build the structure of your blog, determine the pages you need, and figure out how everything will be accessed. For the design, making a mock-up is better than designing as you go. Once you’re happy with the design, implement it and then make changes when and where necessary.

6. Iron out your copy at the same time

Nothing proves more frustrating than completing your website redesign and then finding out you couldn’t launch just yet because you have zero content. Either you write your copy before you start redesigning or write it while the pros work on the design. Doing these two things simultaneously helps ensure that you can launch at the soonest possible time.

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