Website redesign: the planning starts now

There are very few things that I think are “wrong” in how we might approach any project. But today, I’m going to share ones that I have some pretty strong opinions about when it comes to website redesign, and why your planning for any redesign probably needs to start sooner than you think. 

Here are just three things that I advise against: 

“We’ll sort our content strategy after we’ve launched the new site” 

When we leave a content strategy until after a site design, we’re inadvertently making the decision that aesthetic is more important than the information needs of our audiences, the efficiency of practice for our organisation, and the environmental impact of our digital ecosystem. 

“We’ll procure the new content management system (CMS), customer relationship management system (CRM) or digital asset management system (DAM) and then create our content strategy”

When we lead with a system we hand the power of our vision and our strategy for creating an outstanding audience experience over to the vendors and their platform. We restrict our vision based on the functionality of a technology instead of asking vendors to create solutions aligned to our vision, our strategy. 

“We’ll workshop our user/audience needs and then test how well our content works with them”

When we limit planning our user needs to our running internal workshops, we hold ourselves in a space of assumption. In turn we limit the scope of the insights that might actually transform our approach. And testing those assumptions by creating content and then measuring it only allows scope for iterative improvements at best. See Your analytics are not audience research.

What should we do to get our planning underway?

Now, these are just three ways in which we miss an opportunity through our website redesign to really transform our approach. I could list 20 more, but that might become a whinge-fest! 

So, let’s instead consider what planning work we should be doing right now, ahead of any redesign getting underway or any systems procurement. And so, here are three things that we really need to be getting right before any redesign happens:

1. Assess your organisational strategy and clearly align your redevelopment plan to this. When done well this can take 1 to 3 months. And if your brand vision needs revising and extensive stakeholder consultation is needed, you can add another 3 to 6 months or so to this. 

2. Identify your target audience segments and conduct actual research with them that goes well beyond just asking what they want, and instead really uncovers their values, beliefs, motivations and frustrations. Actually speak to them and work with them. Don’t just guess, assume, or base it on analytics. When done well this can take 3 to 9 months, and should then be a continuous process thereafter.

3. Develop a full connected content model and structured content strategy. This will lay the groundwork for being more efficient and effective with all content, creating a powerful and personalised user experience, and developing an omni channel approach. It will also give you the requirements to put into any systems procurement brief. This work can also take 3 to 9 months to complete properly. 

So, in other words, the planning and work for your site redevelopment should be underway anywhere from 6 to 18 months before you even begin to procure new systems, create a visual look and feel, and begin the build. 

Want help with laying the foundations effectively or fast-tracking this timeline? Speak to us or follow our online step-by-step content strategy programme.