Redesigning your Wix website can be an exciting endeavour that revitalises your brand, improves user experience, and boosts your online presence. However, it's crucial to approach this process strategically to ensure a successful outcome. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the essential steps to redesign your Wix website effectively, from planning to execution and beyond.
1. Understanding the Need for a Redesign
Assess Your Current Website
Before diving into the redesign process, evaluate your current website. Identify what's working well and what isn't. Analyse user feedback, website analytics, and performance metrics to gain insights into areas that need improvement. Common reasons for redesigning a website include outdated design, poor user experience, slow loading times, and non-responsive layouts.
Set Clear Goals
Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your redesign. These goals might include increasing traffic, improving conversion rates, enhancing mobile responsiveness, or updating the site's visual appeal. Having clear objectives will guide your redesign efforts and help measure success.
2. Planning Your Redesign
Define Your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience is crucial for designing a website that meets their needs and preferences. Create detailed buyer personas that include demographics, interests, pain points, and online behaviour. This information will inform your design decisions and content strategy.
Conduct Competitor Analysis
Analyse your competitors' websites to identify industry trends, design elements, and features that resonate with your audience. Note what works well and what could be improved. This competitive analysis will provide valuable insights and inspiration for your redesign.
Create a Project Timeline
Develop a realistic timeline for your redesign project. Break down the process into phases, including planning, design, development, testing, and launch. Assign responsibilities and set deadlines for each phase to ensure a smooth workflow and timely completion.
3. Designing Your New Wix Website
Choose a Suitable Template
Wix offers a wide range of customisable templates tailored to various industries and purposes. Select a template that aligns with your brand identity and meets your design requirements. Ensure the template is mobile-responsive and compatible with the latest web design trends.
Customise Your Design
Personalise your chosen template to reflect your brand's unique identity. Pay attention to elements such as colour schemes, typography, imagery, and layout. Consistency is key, so ensure your design elements align with your brand guidelines.
Colour Scheme
Choose a colour palette that represents your brand and evokes the desired emotions in your audience. Use contrasting colours for text and background to enhance readability.
Typography
Select fonts that are easy to read and align with your brand personality. Limit the number of fonts to two or three to maintain a cohesive look.
Imagery
Use high-quality images and graphics that resonate with your audience. Avoid stock photos that look generic and opt for custom visuals that tell your brand's story.
Enhance User Experience (UX)
A user-friendly website encourages visitors to stay longer and engage with your content. Focus on the following UX elements:
Navigation
Create a clear and intuitive navigation menu. Use descriptive labels for menu items and keep the structure simple.
Loading Speed
Optimise images and other media files to reduce loading times. Use Wix's built-in tools to ensure your website loads quickly on all devices.
Mobile Responsiveness
With a growing number of users accessing websites on mobile devices, it's essential to ensure your site looks and functions well on smartphones and tablets. Test your design on various devices to ensure a seamless experience.
Integrate SEO Best Practices
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is vital for improving your website's visibility in search results. Incorporate the following SEO strategies during your redesign:
Keyword Research
Identify relevant keywords for your industry and incorporate them naturally into your content, meta tags, and headings.
Meta Tags
Optimise your title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags with target keywords. Ensure each page has a unique and descriptive meta tag.
URL Structure
Use clear and descriptive URLs that include target keywords. Avoid using complex URLs with random characters.
Alt Text for Images
Add descriptive alt text to all images to improve accessibility and help search engines understand the content of your images.
4. Developing and Testing Your Website
Build Your Website
Once the design is finalised, start building your website using Wix's drag-and-drop editor. Add and arrange elements such as text, images, videos, and forms according to your design plan. Ensure all functionalities, such as contact forms and e-commerce features, are set up correctly.
Test Your Website
Thorough testing is essential to identify and fix any issues before launching your redesigned website. Perform the following tests:
Cross-Browser Testing
Ensure your website functions correctly on different browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Device Testing
Test your website on various devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, to ensure a consistent experience.
Functionality Testing
Verify that all interactive elements, such as forms, buttons, and links, work as intended. Test any integrations with third-party tools or services.
Performance Testing
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze your website's performance and identify areas for improvement. Focus on optimising loading times and reducing any unnecessary elements.
5. Launching and Promoting Your Redesigned Website
Prepare for Launch
Before going live, ensure everything is in place for a smooth launch. This includes:
Backup Your Current Website
Create a backup of your existing website in case you need to revert to the previous version.
Update DNS Settings
If you're using a custom domain, update your DNS settings to point to your new Wix website.
Notify Stakeholders
Inform your team, clients, and stakeholders about the upcoming launch. Provide them with a preview of the redesigned site and gather any last-minute feedback.
Launch Your Website
Once everything is ready, publish your redesigned website. Monitor the launch closely to ensure everything is functioning correctly and address any issues that arise promptly.
Promote Your Redesigned Website
To maximise the impact of your redesigned website, promote it through various channels:
Social Media
Share the news of your website redesign on your social media platforms. Highlight key features and improvements to attract visitors.
Email Marketing
Send an email newsletter to your subscribers announcing the redesign. Include a call-to-action encouraging them to visit the new site.
Press Release
If applicable, issue a press release to relevant media outlets and industry publications to generate buzz around your redesigned website.
6. Post-Launch Optimisation and Maintenance
Monitor Website Performance
After the launch, continuously monitor your website's performance using analytics tools like Google Analytics. Track key metrics such as traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates to assess the impact of your redesign.
Gather User Feedback
Encourage visitors to provide feedback on your redesigned website. Use surveys, feedback forms, and social media to gather insights and identify areas for further improvement.
Regular Updates and Maintenance
Keep your website fresh and up-to-date by regularly adding new content, updating existing pages, and performing routine maintenance. This includes checking for broken links, updating software, and optimising performance.
SEO Maintenance
SEO is an ongoing process. Continuously optimise your website for search engines by:
Content Updates
Regularly publish high-quality, relevant content that addresses the needs and interests of your audience.
Link Building
Build a strong backlink profile by acquiring links from reputable websites in your industry.
Technical SEO
Stay updated with the latest SEO best practices and make necessary technical adjustments to improve your website's search engine ranking.
7. Leveraging Advanced Features
Integrate E-commerce Functionality
If you run an online store, consider integrating advanced e-commerce features into your redesigned website. Wix offers various e-commerce tools, including product galleries, shopping carts, payment gateways, and inventory management systems.
Utilise Wix Apps
Enhance your website's functionality by leveraging Wix's extensive app market. There are apps for social media integration, marketing automation, customer support, and more. Choose apps that align with your business goals and integrate them seamlessly into your site. Check out Smoogles Design Top Ten Wix Apps.
Implement Advanced Analytics
Use advanced analytics tools to gain deeper insights into user behaviour and website performance. Tools like Hotjar and Crazy Egg provide heatmaps, session recordings, and user feedback, helping you make data-driven decisions for further optimisation.
8. Next Steps
Redesigning your Wix website is a significant undertaking that can yield substantial benefits when done correctly. By following a strategic approach that includes thorough planning, thoughtful design, rigorous testing, and continuous optimisation, you can create a website that not only looks great but also performs exceptionally well. Remember to keep your target audience in mind, leverage SEO best practices, and stay updated with the latest web design trends. With dedication and attention to detail, your redesigned Wix website can become a powerful tool for achieving your business goals.
If you need help optimising your website, we can help, book a discovery call with Rory by clicking below.