Website Redesign Mistakes That Cost You Time and Money
What Can Go Wrong in a Website Redesign Process?
For businesses, a website redesign is one of the most exciting web projects you can take on. Beyond a fresh look and feel, your site should work better and get better results. That said, redesigns are big projects and a lot can go wrong if you’re not well prepared.
The Most Common Pitfalls in Website Redesigns
1. Unclear Goals and Objectives
One of the worst things you can do is redesigning without having a clear idea of what you want to achieve with the redesign. But don’t worry, this is fairly easy to avoid.
What can happen
- The website doesn’t match what your business needs
- Features might not be useful to your visitors
- You spend time and money on things you don’t need
How to avoid it
- Set clear goals at the start, like “get 20% more demos in the first six months after launch”
- Pick a few important measurements (like pages per viist or leads)
- Check every decision against your main goals
2. Poor Communication
A regular communication cadence is one of the most important things in any project. If your team isn’t clear about what’s happening and when, mistakes and delays are sure to follow.
What can happen
- People misunderstand the project
- Feedback takes too long
- The new site doesn’t turn out how you hoped
How to avoid it
- Meet regularly with your team
- Use easy tools to track tasks and progress
- Have one person gather feedback and make choices easier
3. Scope Creep
Scope creep is when new ideas or features keep getting added to the project. It tends to creep up on teams because it isn’t always obvious when this happens. The work slowly gets bigger than it needs to and before long you’ve run out of time or resources.
What can happen
- Teams have too much work and miss deadlines
- The extra effort grows the budget
- The new site is unfocused and tries to do too much
How to avoid it
- Write down what’s included at the very start (e.g., a scope or requirements document)
- Set up a clear way to handle any changes
- Stick to the plan unless something truly needs changing
4. Not Focusing on Usability and the User Experience (UX)
A site should look good (i.e., the UI and brand should tell a story), but that shouldn’t come at the cost of intuitiveness or ease of use. Your visitors will leave your website if they get confused or hit a dead end.
What can happen
- Visitors leave right away
- The site looks nice but doesn’t help people find what they’re looking for
- What users want and what you need aren’t well aligned
How to avoid it
- Ask users what they need before you start building
- Make the site simple to use, quick to load, and make sure it works on any device
- Test with real users so you spot issues early
5. Underestimating Costs and Timelines
Website redesign projects almost always take more time and money. This is largely due expanding information and validating assumptions along the way.
What can happen
- The budget runs out and you have to skip important features
- Launches get delayed and you fail to meet organization expectations
- Rushed work means more mistakes and fixes post launch
How to avoid it
- Conduct a discovery with your team before estimating effort
- Add a contingency budget in case of surprises
- Plan out deadlines with your team and agree together
Advice for a Smoother Website Redesign
You can avoid most problems with a bit of planning and teamwork. Here are a few steps that help:
- Do Some Research First: Look at what’s working on your site now and what needs fixing. Talk to people who use your site. Set your goals clearly.
- Bring Everyone Together Early: Ask for help and ideas from other teams, like marketing or customer service. It saves problems later.
- Pick the Right Team: Choose team members with relevant experience. Ask to see comparable sites they worked on and corresponding results.
- Make Sure It Works for Everyone: Test your site on different devices and different browsers! The mobile experience and accessible experience should be optimized to make your new website is easy for everyone to use.
- Test, Listen, and Adjust: Try out your new site with users as you build. Take feedback seriously and make updates along the way.
Good Planning Leads to Great Results
A website redesign isn’t just about how your site looks. If executed successfully it can help your business, reach your audiences, and support your most important goals. With clear goals, good communication, and steady focus, you can make your redesign a great success.
If you need the help of an experienced web team, contact us to discuss the details and we’ll help you avoid those pitfalls.