How Long Does It Take to Redesign A Website

March 2, 2018

How long does it take to redesign a website?

We wish we had a better answer for you.

It depends.

Every website is unique and because of that, every redesign depends solely on what you are expecting to get out of the final product. Are you looking for a template-based website? Or do you need an e-commerce website with a ton of customization? Answers to simple questions like these might seem obvious, but they drastically change how long a redesign takes. Therefore, it is our suggestion to expand on your initial question: What kind of website do you need redesigned?

A website redesign can be looked at as something as simple as applying another coat of paint to the walls or it can be as elaborate as building a house from the ground up. Although there are always unexpected factors that you can’t plan for, a few things you can plan for are:

  • knowing what kind of website you need
  • hiring the right kind of developer
  • prepare your content
  • have your branding in place

Read: The 5 Most Common Web Design Mistakes >>

Template Websites vs. Custom Design

We mentioned that your expectations for the finished product can dictate how quickly your website redesign can happen. What kind of website are you looking for? If you’re not sure, simply put together a laundry list of websites that you love or functionalities of websites that are must-haves and present them to your developer. They will be able to get a good feeling for the look you might be going for and make suggestions on changes to stay within timeframe and budget.

What is a templated website? A website template is a pre-designed webpage that is used to “plug-in” personalized content and images. Templated websites are faster to build, more cost-efficient, and they are becoming more sophisticated each day with plenty of room for customization. If you’re looking for something quick with a modern feel but also not looking to break the bank then this might be a good route for you to take.

What is custom web design? Custom web design means that your website was built from scratch. This does mean that your website build or redesign will take more time. 

So, how long does it take to redesign a website? If you are looking to go the route of a templated website then you might have quicker turnaround time than if you are looking for something completely custom.

Type of Agency

Who you hire makes a difference.

A freelance web designer might have more time in their schedule from the get-go and an agency might be working on ten other projects when you inquire. Or the opposite could be the case! Ask questions and find out what each of their unique processes is. Do they take you through phases that include Discovery and Design? These phases minimize risk and get you a finished product that you will love but they do take time.

Content is King

Another factor of the website redesign timeframe is whether or not you have your content ready. Content includes copy, images, videos and all other visual items. How can you expect your web design team to whip up a redesign without all of the necessary content? Although not all websites need to be custom built, you can think of it as building a house. If you know that you want a King size bed in a certain bedroom, you need to build around the size of that.

Our advice is to work on this ahead of time and be prepared with all of your assets. If you need help with keyword research or SEO be sure to let your developers know that as well.

Psst! Don’t forget that migrating any old information including Google Analytics account information over to the new site takes time as well.

Read: How to Redesign a Website Without Losing SEO >>

Branding and Colors

If you approach a web development company with content, branding, and colors already in place, then your website redesign will take a lot less time than if you come to them without any of that. Branding and colors are paramount to the look and feel of your website so if you’re looking to speed up the redesign process make sure that this is in place ahead of time.

11 Redesign Tips from Hans:

Whether you are going in-house or to a 3rd party design firm for a quote, you will eventually have to answer these questions. Yes, they are tough. Yes, they take time. But by doing them now, you will have better conversations both internally and externally.

Don’t want to answer these questions? In a rush? Everyone wants their website built as soon as possible but not taking the appropriate steps to ensure success is a very high-risk move. Trust us, take some time, answer these questions, and you will feel a ton better about the project you are about to take on!

  1. Identify your company goals
  2. Identify your website goals and how that fits into your overall company goals
    1. When you ask for people to bid on your project, providing a clear purpose statement to your redesign
  3. Identify what you don’t like about your website
    1. Providing specific details go a long way when speaking to a 3rd party web designer rather than the ‘it’s just old looking’.  Dive deeper. What makes it so old looking?
  4. Who’s your target market? What do you want them to do on this website? Do they typically use one browser or device over another?
    1. Hint: you can find answers right within your Google Analytics account (assuming it’s installed).
  5. Identify websites you like and why
    1. They can be competitors, but they don’t have to be
  6. Identify who in your company will be working with the website
  7. Identify a sitemap (or a rough idea of a sitemap)
  8. Define your budget, or seek professionals to advise you on an appropriate budget given your needs
    1. It’s okay to have a budget!  It’s normal!  What’s not normal is when you say ‘the website is the most important thing for my business, but I don’t want to spend any money on it.
  9. Define who is doing the content
  10. Define how/what imagery/media will be used
  11. Migrate data to the new website!

Questions? Contact us here!

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