Five questions to answer before you redesign your website

Most website redesigns start with a feeling: the site looks dated, a competitor launched something sleek, or the founder is tired of apologising for it. Those feelings are valid — but they're not a brief. Before commissioning a redesign, answer these five questions. They'll save money, shorten the project and make the result measurably better.

1. What should a visitor do — and are they doing it now?

Every important page should have one primary action: request a quote, book a call, buy, download. Look at your analytics and find out how many visitors take that action today. If you don't know, fix tracking before the redesign — otherwise you'll never know whether the new site performs better.

2. Who are you actually designing for?

"Everyone" isn't an audience. Write down the two or three types of visitor that matter most, what they need to know before they act, and what makes them hesitate. A real-estate buyer, a procurement manager and a parent choosing a school ask very different questions. Your structure and copy should answer theirs, not yours.

3. What's already working?

Redesigns often destroy value quietly. Pages that rank in search, URLs other sites link to, and content that converts all deserve protection. Export your top landing pages from Search Console and analytics, and plan permanent redirects for any URL that changes.

4. Who will update the site after launch?

A site your team can't edit goes stale within months. Decide early who will publish news, change prices or add projects, and choose a content management approach that suits their skills. Training should be part of the project, not an afterthought.

5. How will you judge success in three months?

Agree the measures now: enquiry rate, page speed, organic traffic, time to publish new content. Write down the current baseline. A redesign that looks better but converts worse is a step backwards — and you'll only know if you measured.

The short version

A great website is a sales tool with a clear job. Diagnose first, protect what works, design for real visitors, and measure the result. The visual polish matters — but it's the last mile, not the first.