You want to get the most from
your company’s website, and
we’re here to offer guidance
in evaluating your options and
dening a plan.
This comprehensive website
redesign guide covers
everything you need to
know about planning your
project, developing a budget,
and choosing a vendor.
These topics are crucial
considerations when it comes
to making your website a
powerful tool for your business.
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
2
Sections
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Discover how to analyze your current site so
that you can set baselines, determine what
you need, and set goals for measuring success.
WEBSITE BUDGETING
Find out how to budget for the website
redesign costs and use our comparison grid
to learn more about the pros/cons of various
budgeting options.
VENDOR SELECTION
Get our tips for narrowing down your list of
website companies you want to work with,
then use our checklist to objectively evaluate
your top picks.
Your target audience
isn’t visiting your
website
Your website doesn’t rank in Google,
and you want to improve search
engine optimization.
Your site is out of date
Your website is so old that it is not
accurate and even embarrassing.
Your website no
longer represents your
company accurately
From product launches and mergers
to rebranding and marketing goal
shifts, your website needs to reect
major changes in your business.
You need more than a
template website
You need a new customized
website solution to meet your
business goals.
You’re unhappy with
your current web design
company
Things aren’t running smoothly, and
you want to start working with a
new partner.
Your site isn’t working
Your site doesn’t deliver results, and
you can’t quite put a nger on why.
It’s time for a
website redesign if:
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
3
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
4
Strategic planning
Taking the time to think through your project in advance pays
signicant strategic dividends.
y Where are the gaps between what your current website does and what
you’d like your ideal website to do? Are you looking to gain more leads?
Better reach ideal customers? Shorten sales funnels?
y Aesthetically, is your site design modern? Does the content sync with your
business culture and brand identity guidelines?
y Was your website developed with your audience’s needs in mind? Does your
website efciently communicate the right message to your ideal audience?
y Is your website delivering on your audience’s expectations with regard to
design and functionality?
y Are clear and compelling calls to action included on every page?
y If you have custom functionality, does it work?
y Is your website responsive? Have you created a consistent experience for
users on mobile devices and desktop computers?
y Is your audience base getting the most up-to-date marketing message? It’s
possible your business realities have changed since your site launched.
y Does your website function as an online sales marketing tool and/or client-
nurturing engine?
y How clearly is content organized? Can users easily nd what they need?
CONDUCT AN OVERALL SITE AUDIT
Where are you today?
All successful website projects start with evaluation and planning. While
redesigning and development are critical, the real work begins long before
layouts are reworked and code is rewritten. Evaluate your current site to gure
out what works and what doesn’t. Think about your big picture goals and how a
new or improved website can help you reach those goals.
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
5
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Auditing your current website objectively can be tricky and overwhelming. It
helps to have a team in place that can prevent you from missing opportunities
while also helping you stand out from your competition.
You’ll need to think through your content, visuals, design functionality, and
determine how customers nd, view, and use your site.
If you have a marketing staff, bring them in to help you analyze your website.
Your sales representatives might be able to provide additional insights into how
your site performs through customers’ eyes.
RELATED ARTICLES
Get a general overview of how
to audit your website
tbhcreative.com/audit-overview
Learn how SEO and strategic
calls to action gure in to your
website audit
tbhcreative.com/audit-SEO-CTAs
Find out if your website needs a
full update
tbhcreative.com/audit-full-update
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
6
STRATEGIC PLANNING
DEVELOP WEBSITE PERSONAS
What do your users need?
When it comes to digital marketing and website success, it is
essential that you understand your customers. Whether you have one
ideal audience or several different targets, who you want to reach with
your website is just as important as who they are, what they need, and
how to best communicate to them. These factors should drive your
website redesign decision making.
In web design lingo, this analysis of your users and their needs is called a
website personas report. You’ll use your personas to develop an effective
conversion strategy, create optimized content, and position strong calls to
action that get results. Then, you’ll tailor your new website layouts to create
the best user experience for those target audiences.
RELATED ARTICLES
Understand how website personas
can transform your business
tbhcreative.com/transformative-personas
Learn how knowing your audience
helps you achieve your website
redesign goals
tbhcreative.com/audience-and-goals
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
7
STRATEGIC PLANNING
y Who is using your website? What
do you know about them?
y Is SEO driving your website trafc?
Are you ranking for appropriate
key terms? Is most of your trafc
coming from people in your target
audience?
y Are your website visitors taking
action at the right places?
y At what point are your visitors
leaving your site?
y What website usage trends or
activities are you measuring
currently? How many conversions
are you getting now (per day/
week/month)?
y What promotion tactics seem to
work best?
y Anything surprising in your
website analytics?
What do the numbers say?
After you’ve put together your website personas report, you’ll want to turn
to the hard numbers. Analytics track actual statistics and individual web
metrics, and this data can help you answer vital questions, including:
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
8
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Your existing website probably tracks some data, but your metrics or
conversions may not be as high as you’d like. That’s ok. Take note of your
starting point, and make a list of other types of information you’d like to
capture going forward.
This will make you better equipped to close any gaps moving forward
during your website redesign process.
RELATED ARTICLES
Learn how to knowing your
audience helps you achieve your
website redesign goals
tbhcreative.com/know-your-audience
Get free analytics tools to assess
your web and marketing data
tbhcreative.com/free-analytics-tools
Learn how to make website
data reports engaging and
communicate the most
important metrics
tbhcreative.com/engaging-data-reports
CHECKLIST
Download our Website Redesign
Getting Started Checklist
tbhcreative.com/web-redesign-checklist
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
9
STRATEGIC PLANNING
y What part does your website play in your organization’s overall
marketing plan?
y Once your new website launches, what results will you need to measure
to determine success (or have an ROI)?
y What other factors could inuence the relative success of your website?
y Are your goals for the website realistic? In what timeframe?
y How often will you track and report on different success measures?
y What is the business value of meeting these goals?
What does success look like?
Use what you’ve learned so far to build a strategy for your website redesign
project. Look at your ndings and set aside some time to create a master plan.
Your strategy should answer questions, such as:
RELATED ARTICLES
Justify your website redesign
investment by measuring ROI
tbhcreative.com/website-redesign
-investment-ROI
Transform website and marketing
into your top salesperson
tbhcreative.com/website-salesperson
Learn how to translate your
business goals into digital
marketing objectives
tbhcreative.com/business-goals-and
-digital-marketing
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
10
STRATEGIC PLANNING
y What third party tools and software are currently being used to power your
website? Do you still need to use all of them? Are these still the best tools
available to meet your needs? Who manages or owns these tools? (e.g., are
they hosted, set up by a third party, or managed by your team?) What are
the current contracts terms for each?
y How satised are you by the work done by your current web design
company and digital marketing agency? Do you like working with them?
y Have you grown to the point where you need to bring in new partners? Do
you need to engage an outside web design company for the rst time? Is it
time to replace an existing partnership you’ve outgrown?
y Are you working with many different partners to cover your marketing
needs? Would it be more efcient and cost-effective to work with one rm
that offers a wide range of services and can manage multiple marketing
projects at one time?
Are your vendor relationships still working?
Another important step during your planning process should include
assessing your current vendor partnerships and technology tools. Once you
have a strategy for creating an improved website, coupled with an analysis of
your current website’s performance, you’ll be in a better place to consider how
you want to build and maintain your new website. Determine which tools,
software, resources, and partners are best suited to help you reach your goals
by answering these questions:
As with any project, going into a website redesign project with a strategy
in place helps to shorten timelines, improve results, and keep costs
within your budget. The real work in a website redesign project begins long
before you hire a web design company to write new code. Taking a strategic
approach from the start helps extend the life of your website redesign
project by making it an ongoing part of your marketing program.
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
11
y How much does your business spend decorating its lobby? For
many companies, decoration and upkeep of a lobby is considered a
worthwhile investment because they often provide an initial impression.
It helps to think of your website the same way. In today’s market, your
website may be your rst chance to capture customers’ attention. For
the most part, they won’t see your “interior design” if your website and
key landing pages don’t get their attention.
y Your website should function as a member of your sales team. Would
you make a long-term employee’s salary and benets a line item for
one year only, or amortize the cost across the years the employee works
for your company? Build the website redesign cost into your marketing
budget over time, generally 3–4 years.
How much should my new website cost?
How do you take your website from boring to brilliant without breaking
the bank? Many companies do part of the work in-house and then are
surprised to nd that expenses are higher once they factor in the cost of
employee time. Believe it or not, in the long run it’s usually cheaper to
outsource your website redesign project.
As you consider how much a website redesign project may cost, you should
also consider the value and return on investment potential your new
website will bring. It’s easier to get a handle on what your website redesign
cost might be so that you can budget appropriately. Start by reframing your
perspective strategically, and thinking about marketing in the big picture:
Website budgeting
How can you build a realistic web design project budget that still
gets results?
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
12
WEBSITE BUDGETING
Why does having a good website matter?
Ideally, your website should serve as a critical component of your business
plan—working as a fully-integrated tool or functioning as a digital sales rep.
Think of your website as a 24/7 engine helping you reach business goals.
y 88% of consumers will research product information before they make
a purchase online or in the store.
y 48% of people cited a website’s design as the number one factor in
deciding the credibility of a business.
y 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content is
unclear or its layout is unattractive.
y Consider a web design project
budget in light of your overall
marketing plan. Good website
redesign also incorporates marketing,
copywriting, search engine
optimization, coding, technical skill,
and analytical ability. These areas of
expertise have impact on more than
just how your website looks. They
provide functionality that turns your
website into a marketing tool.
y Taking an iterative approach to
web design not only makes your new
website more effective, but this also
extends its lifespan. Keeping updates
and enhancements to functionality,
SEO, and content in mind helps to
spread the cost of redesign, and
lengthens the life of your website.
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
13
WEBSITE BUDGETING
COMPARE WEBSITE ESTIMATES
Why different vendor costs aren’t apples to apples?
When it comes to website redesign costs, you have options. For many parts
of your project, you can choose to handle the task internally, use a template,
opt for partial customization, or ask for a comprehensive solution. Any of those
options can work, but some may make more sense than others to handle in-
house depending on the size of the job, what your goals are and what expertise
you have on staff, and even your project timeline.
You may also be surprised to see very large pricing differences between
estimates you receive. Some web design companies will offer packages A,
B and C. Others might propose a price for one customized solution. The
difference in costs are much like the differences you might nd when buying
a house because of all the different factors involved, including aspects like size/
square footage, builder options, and the level of features of your new home.
When it comes to website estimates, variations in quotes might be due to
the number of pages, application development functions, and details such as
design quality, interactivity, and SEO.
As you analyze your quotes, don’t forget to check and see if strategy work is
covered by their price. Just as you might hire an architect to design your home,
to get your website just right you may need professional help developing a
content strategy to organize your site’s information and create a strategy to
ensure your new pages rank with Google.
When comparing estimates, it is also important to get a breakdown of what
different price ranges may cover and what components your team will be
responsible managing or creating.
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
14
Different types of website solutions:
WEBSITE BUDGETING
time will
your website
redesign
project take?
When redesigning your
website in-house, expect
to devote considerable
staff time.
If optimization and
personalization aren’t
essential for meeting
your marketing goals,
you can get up and
running in less time
using a templated-
website solution.
To add your own spin to
a template, you’ll need
to invest additional time
to prepare your site to
go live.
When you hire a
professional team, your
internal team will have
to do less work overall,
but you should still
plan to allot time for
providing assets, sharing
feedback, and getting
approvals.
functionality
will your
redesigned site
Time, resources, and
expertise may limit your
ability to add custom
functionality if you
handle the redesign
in-house.
Templates don’t
typically support custom
functionality. Hosted
solutions offer out-of-
the-box options which
you can use as-is.
There may be limits
depending on the
software solution or
vendor expertise if you
are trying to do a partial
custom site.
Custom development
work can be done
strategically as needed.
Depending on your
target users and their
goals, you might add
data sorting, custom
page structure, ltering,
or other interactive tools.
Will your
site stand
competition?
Time, resources, and
expertise may limit your
ability to create add
custom design elements
and details if you handle
the redesign in-house.
Templates don’t support
extensive custom
designing, which means
you will not be the only
organization using the
template you choose.
Templates support
limited customization,
so you may change a
few colors or be able to
rearrange some modules
within pages, but you
won’t be able to get the
same uniqueness you’d
expect from complete
custom design.
Comprehensive
customization allows
maximum exibility
to include unique
elements and features
that make your site
stand out and truly
communicate your
brand.
feature custom
design?
Time, resources, and
expertise may limit your
ability to add custom
interactive design
elements, if you handle
the redesign in-house.
Templates don’t support
custom interactive
design elements.
If your team is highly
talented, you may
be able to build out
interactive features using
a partially customized
template, but
depending on their level
of expertise, the results
may not be as rened as
a professional solution
and cause issues with
load time or interfere
with user experience.
If interactive design
helps meet your goals,
custom development
makes it happen.
With comprehensive
customization, you
have full control of the
look and functionality
of any interactive
elements, and custom
development ensures
clean code that won’t
slow your site down or
hamper usability.
Template Partial
customization
solution
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
15
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
15
WEBSITE BUDGETING
business does
work best for?
A business with a large,
experienced internal
marketing and IT
departments that are
currently underutilized
may help you save
money and achieve
decent results.
A small business with
a limited budget may
consider a template
to establish their web
presence until revenue
justies investing in a
more strategic, custom
solution.
A small- to medium-
sized business with
a limited marketing
budget may choose to
invest a little more in
a partially customized
template website to
gain more traction
online.
A business of any size
committed to using
its website as a sales,
marketing, and client
cultivation tool should
consider comprehensive
customization because
the ROI for this option is
unquestionably higher.
option cost?
In-house redesign
projects often cost
more than expected,
due to employee time
costs and the need for
external review.
Templates are available
in a range of prices, from
free to expensive.
Partial customization
adds to the cost of a
template website, and
price is variable based
on time needed for
implementation and
integrating changes.
Pricing for
comprehensive solutions
depends on client needs
and strategy. In many
cases, custom solutions
wind up being the
cheaper option overall.
redesign
project?
In-house redesign may
deliver great results—or
not. It always depends
on available time and
team expertise.
Coding and SEO make
it difcult for template
sites to rank as high as
competitors who invest
in a custom website.
However, depending on
your industry and goals,
a template website can
be a good starting point.
Coding and SEO make
it difcult for template
sites to rank as high as
competitors who invest
in a custom website.
However, depending on
your industry and goals,
a template website can
be a good starting point.
Custom websites with
strategic planning have
the potential to deliver
substantial increases
in lead generation due
to SEO capture, high
impact user experience,
and optimized
functionality and
performance.
Template Partial
customization
solution
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
16
WEBSITE BUDGETING
When is it benecial to not do it all at once?
It is easy to make a wishlist for your new website and get frustrated (or
surprised) when the timeline or budget makes your dream project seem
impossible to complete. That’s why we always recommend prioritizing the
work included in your feature list. Tagging or grouping features as “must-have,”
“should-have,” “nice-to-have,” and “future ideas” makes it easier to budget for
what you need by launch and what you can tackle during future phases of
your project.
The items in your “must-have” group should correlate directly back to features
that will help you achieve your goals. When you’re starting a complex project,
this exercise is extremely helpful, especially if you need to get buy-in from a
large group with differing opinions on what should be a priority and it can
also help you focus on necessities when you’re trying to get the max out of a
limited budget.
Taking a phased approach also helps make website redesign costs more
digestible, allowing you to iterate other marketing atop your website redesign
project so that you can start showing ROI sooner.
RELATED ARTICLES
Learn when it’s okay to launch
a website that’s not perfect
(and how to do it the right way)
tbhcreative.com/go-ahead-and-launch
Find out how phased website
development leads to success
tbhcreative.com/phased-development
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
17
WEBSITE BUDGETING
Why does responsive design matter?
If it’s been more than a few years since your last website design, you may
be surprised at how quickly things have changed. The biggest difference
over the past ve years has been the explosion of mobile browsing.
Did you know that more web searches are now performed on mobile
devices than from desktop computers? In this mobile-rst environment,
having a website with an easy-to-use responsive design isn’t optional. It’s
critical. With more than 200 potential screen sizes in use today, coding a
website that’s functional and effective regardless of how it’s accessed is a
bigger job than ever.
What this means for any web development company is that we have
to build code in a completely new way to “respond” appropriately
and consistently to all of these different devices and sizes. What we
used to do once as “pixel perfect” now has to be uid and exible. At a
minimum, we have to set up templates with standardized shifting for
the primary device sizes.
For more detailed sites and designs, we can customize individual
viewports for specic sizes. We oftentimes determine this after setting
basic shifting and weighing the importance and popularity of certain
pages. Analytics also give insight as to whether spending extra time for
special mobile views would be worth the investment.
Though responsive design prep can involve a lot of work, this
customization for mobile users is essential and always pays off.
y 62% of companies with websites designed for mobile users see
increased sales.
y 40% of people will choose a different search result if the rst
website is not mobile friendly.
y 48% of users say that if they arrive on a business website that isn’t
working well on their mobile device that it’s an indication the
business doesn’t care.
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
18
WEBSITE BUDGETING
What are others paying for their website?
Are you curious how much other companies like you are spending on
digital marketing and building websites? Here is a roundup of statistics and
guidelines that may surprise you:
y According to the Wall Street Journal, digital marketing spending varies
by industry. Ranging anywhere from 4 to 24%, the average amount most
companies spend on digital marketing is 11% of their total budget.
Think about how you can spread your website redesign project costs
across your organization’s budget.
y Small businesses, which Forbes denes as those with under $5 million
in annual revenue, typically spend 7–8% of their total revenue on
marketing.
y The Small Business Administration recommends that businesses
operating with at least a 10–12% margin consider spending 7–12% of total
revenue on marketing.
y Entrepreneur suggests that companies between one and ve years old
spend 12–20% of their gross revenue on marketing. For older companies
with more brand equity, 6–12% may be enough.
RELATED ARTICLES
Discover how much of your marketing budget should you to spend
on your website
tbhcreative.com/plan-your-website-budget
Figure out how to evaluate the ROI based on your website redesign cost
tbhcreative.com/redesign-cost-and-ROI
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
19
How do you evaluate examples and quality of work?
One of the best ways to gure out what you want is to look at as many
other websites as possible. Check out sites you visit frequently, review your
competitors, and visit other companies in your industry. As you review, take
screenshots of notable pages or features and make notes detailing what you like
and why. (Also consider what you don’t like and think about why).
As you gain a better perspective on available design options, use this knowledge
as you review the portfolios of perspective website companies. Good website
companies will include a robust portfolio with samples of their work to make it
easy to assess their technical skills and visual design talent.
Here are questions to think about as you review website design portfolios:
y Does their portfolio include examples of work done for others in my industry?
y Does their portfolio include projects similar in size and scale to my project?
y Do I really like their work?
y Are goals and results included as part of their project write-ups?
y Have they included a client testimonial with each project description?
Vendor selection
Selecting the right web design company can be challenging
because there are so many options and factors to consider.
RELATED ARTICLES
Follow these 3 tips to keep your website ahead of the design curve
tbhcreative.com/future-proof-your-website-design
Learn what makes a good website design
tbhcreative.com/good-website-design
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
20
VENDOR SELECTION
What do their clients have to say?
One of the most valuable steps you can take when evaluating
website companies is to check out feedback from their past clients.
Google each vendor’s name with the word review or rating (“[Company
name] reviews”) and look at sites such as Facebook, Google, Yelp!, and
Clutch Pay attention to the star rating number, the quantity of reviews,
when the reviews were posted, and what the customers say in their
comments. What others say (or don’t say) about a company publicly
should be one of the strongest indicators on your checklist.
Do you really need a request for proposals?
A
s part of your process for selecting a company to partner with on your
website redesign project, you might have heard you need a send out an
request for proposals. Although some companies are required to locate
vendors using a RFP process, many organizations nd that this method of
vendor selection cuts them off from opportunities to receive strategic input.
If you’re looking for a signicant website upgrade, you’ll get better results
choosing a web design company with expertise that ts your team’s
culture and personality, and then asking that rm for recommendations. In
many cases, outside experts will present you with a choice of options that
will make your project better, faster, and more efcient.
RELATED ARTICLES
Learn how to write a website design RFP that saves time and gets results
tbhcreative.com/web-design-RFP-tips
Discover why it’s worth paying for a strategic web development partner
tbhcreative.com/strategic-web-partner
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
21
VENDOR SELECTION
Who has the best solution?
Who asks the good questions?
Once you’ve narrowed down the list of best vendors to consider for
your website redesign project, it’s time talk. Set up interviews with
each web design company to learn how they might approach your
project. As you have these conversations, one or two companies should
rise to the top. This might be based on personality or process styles,
their portfolio may be a standout, or a combination of factors.
Another thing to look out for is ideas. Who has the best solution for your
project? Who asks good questions that challenges your thinking (in a good
way)? Who will be a good partner to make sure you reach your goals?
A long-term website partner will be good at bringing your ideas to
life and adding to them. Website companies build websites all day,
everyday. Why would you expect or accept anything less?
Who rises to the top?
CHECKLIST
Use our checklist to simplify
the process of evaluating your
top web company choices—
plus questions to ask.
tbhcreative.com/compare-web-vendors
HOW TO PLAN A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE REDESIGN PROJECT
22
The best website redesign projects start with making strategic plans
that cover users’ needs, allocating appropriate budget and resources,
and partnering with the right website company.
A website redesign project should not be a second-tier priority or quick
decision for your company. Going into a website redesign project with
a strategy in place will help to shorten timelines, improve results, and
keep costs down.
By following the advice in this guide and selecting the right website
partner, you will be in the best position for your website redesign
project and online success.
Summary
Put your best foot forward during the next steps of your website
redesign process using the proven processes outlined in this guide.
(317) 572-8050 WWW.TBHCREATIVE.COM
LET’S
TALK
Since 2004, TBH Creative has worked with hundreds of
companies in a wide range of industries, including healthcare,
finance, and service. We specialize in developing complex,
enterprise-level websites that convert.
Once your site is live, we are still your team. Whether you’re looking
to integrate digital marketing, phase in new features, monitor
analytics, or keep improving to extend the life of your website, TBH
Creative provides support and results-driven insights.
We believe in clear communication, high standards of excellence,
and beating deadlines. But beyond those ideals, what really
drives the heart of our business is your business. We take pride in
helping our clients achieve more with digital marketing and web
design than they ever thought possible.
FOUNDED
IN 2004
About TBH Creative
(317) 572-8050 WWW.TBHCREATIVE.COM
SET UP A FREE CONSULTATION
TO EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS →
tbhcreative.com/start
Ready to
get started?
