Are you planning a website redesign but not sure where to start? Want to make sure your new site is better, smarter, and built for success?
You’ll find some web design basics in this infographic.
Here’s a summary of what’s covered:
- What Do I Like and Dislike About My Current Website?
- What’s Missing From My Current Website?
- What Is My Most Viewed Content?
- What Is the Primary Goal of My New Website?
- What Is the Secondary Goal?
- What Is My Budget?
- Who Will Do the Redesign Work?
- Is My Brand Messaging Still Relevant?
Check out the post below for more.
Redesigning your website is an exciting opportunity to improve performance, attract new visitors, and enhance your brand image. But jumping in without a clear plan can lead to missed goals and wasted resources.
To make sure your redesign delivers measurable results, you need to ask the right questions. These 17 prompts will guide your thinking and help you make smarter decisions every step of the way.
What Do I Like and Dislike About My Current Website?
Before you start fresh, take a step back and reflect on your existing site. Identifying what’s working and what’s not will help avoid repeating mistakes or losing valuable features. Your likes and dislikes are clues to your design preferences and user expectations. Document them clearly to inform your redesign decisions.
- List elements you love (e.g., layout, navigation, colours) and want to retain.
- Note any features or design aspects that frustrate you or your users.
- Use website feedback or reviews to understand user opinions.
- Include performance-based likes/dislikes (e.g., slow speed, high conversion page).
What’s Missing From My Current Website?
As your business evolves, your website should keep up with new demands. Think about functionality gaps or features your competitors offer that you don’t. A redesign is your chance to close those gaps. Identifying what’s missing helps you prioritise must-have additions.
- Review customer requests or support tickets for frequently asked features.
- Benchmark competitor websites to spot missing components.
- Consider new business goals that require added functionality (e.g., booking systems).
- Make a list of all desired features and group them by priority.
What Is My Most Viewed Content?
Knowing what content performs best gives you a foundation to build on. This ensures that popular pages, blog posts, or resources don’t get lost in the shuffle. Your redesign should support and elevate this high-value content. Let data—not guesswork—guide you.
- Use Google Analytics or similar tools to identify top-performing pages.
- Analyse user flow to understand how visitors access this content.
- Make plans to improve visibility and navigation to this content.
- Ensure content formatting remains effective in the new design.
What Is the Primary Goal of My New Website?
Every redesign should start with a clear objective. Whether it’s more leads, better user experience, or brand repositioning, the design must support this central aim. A clear goal helps align strategy, layout, and content. Don’t move forward without defining it.
- Decide on one clear, measurable objective for the redesign.
- Align this goal with your broader marketing or business strategy.
- Share the goal with your design team or agency.
- Regularly check decisions against this goal to stay on track.
What Is the Secondary Goal?
Most businesses have more than one reason for a redesign. Your secondary goal should complement the primary one—not compete with it. This helps ensure your redesign meets multiple needs without becoming unfocused. Treat secondary goals as supportive priorities.
- Identify two or three additional outcomes you want to achieve.
- Ensure they reinforce the main goal (e.g., improve SEO while boosting leads).
- Avoid setting too many secondary goals that could dilute your focus.
- Rank them in order of importance to guide trade-off decisions.
What Is My Budget?
A solid budget sets realistic expectations for what you can achieve. It also prevents delays, feature cuts, or disappointing outcomes. Being transparent about your finances helps you find the right approach—whether DIY or agency-led. Budget for both initial design and long-term upkeep.
- Set a maximum and minimum spend range based on available resources.
- Factor in design, development, content creation, and SEO costs.
- Include post-launch maintenance or platform fees in your calculations.
- Be upfront about budget constraints with any external partners.
Who Will Do the Redesign Work?
Decide early who is responsible for the redesign—your team, a freelancer, or an agency. This will impact your timeline, budget, and overall quality. Each option has pros and cons depending on your needs. Make sure whoever handles it has the right skills.
- Assess internal capabilities and capacity for handling the project.
- Research external professionals with proven website redesign experience.
- Request proposals or portfolios before making a decision.
- Choose someone who understands your business goals and audience.
Is My Brand Messaging Still Relevant?
Your messaging should clearly explain who you are, what you do, and why it matters. If your current content no longer reflects your business, now is the time to change it. A redesign is a powerful opportunity to reset and realign your voice. Messaging consistency builds trust and clarity.
- Reassess your unique value proposition and core brand messages.
- Rewrite outdated content to reflect current offers or tone.
- Ensure consistency across all pages, from homepage to product descriptions.
- Test messaging on real users or customers before going live.
Is My Brand Identity Consistent?
Design without brand consistency creates confusion and weakens recognition. From your logo to your font choices, everything should match your brand’s personality. Make sure the redesign reflects and reinforces your identity. Consistency is key to a strong digital presence.
- Review current branding guidelines or create them if none exist.
- Check alignment of colours, imagery, fonts, and tone.
- Update brand assets if they feel outdated or inconsistent.
- Keep visuals aligned with your values and audience expectations.
What First Impression Do I Want to Create?
Your homepage needs to impress fast. Visitors will form opinions within seconds, so think carefully about the impact you want to make. Use visuals, layout, and messaging to create a lasting impression. A strong first impression builds trust and encourages exploration.
- Decide what feeling or message you want users to experience instantly.
- Prioritise key information or calls-to-action above the fold.
- Use high-quality imagery and clear copy to support your goal.
- Ask unbiased users to describe their first impression in testing.
Who Is My Ideal Buyer Persona?
Knowing your target audience influences every aspect of the redesign. You can’t appeal to everyone, so get specific about who your site is for. A detailed buyer persona keeps your messaging, design, and content user-focused. Your audience should feel like the site was made for them.
- Define age, job role, goals, pain points, and preferences.
- Base personas on real customer data, not assumptions.
- Align site features and navigation to suit these personas.
- Review your content tone and offers for relevance.
Are There Any New Audiences I Want to Target?
Businesses grow, and so do customer groups. If you’re entering new markets or launching new products, your website must reflect that. Consider how your design can support and attract these emerging audiences. Inclusion starts with awareness and planning.
- Identify new audience segments by location, industry, or needs.
- Tailor content and language to appeal to different groups.
- Consider adding new landing pages or user journeys.
- Test the site with representatives from these audiences.
Is My Branding Aligned With My Audience?
Once you understand your audience, your branding must speak their language. An outdated or misaligned brand can drive potential customers away. Use the redesign to refresh your visual and verbal identity. This alignment boosts credibility and connection.
- Evaluate whether your visuals reflect current customer expectations.
- Update taglines, tone of voice, and design elements to resonate.
- Compare your branding to competitors targeting the same group.
- Use customer feedback to fine-tune your presentation.
Who Are My Top Competitors?
Redesigning your website is a chance to outshine your rivals. By studying their strengths and weaknesses, you can find opportunities to stand out. Your competitors offer a benchmark—and a chance to go one better. Be strategic, not imitative.
- Identify direct and indirect competitors in your space.
- Analyse their websites for design, content, and functionality.
- Note gaps or weaknesses you can improve upon.
- Look for ideas you can adapt, not copy.
What Do I Like About Other Websites?
Inspiration can come from anywhere. Bookmark websites you love and break down what makes them work. Use this inspiration to guide your decisions without losing sight of your brand. Your goal is to be original with intent.
- Keep a swipe file of favourite sites and design elements.
- Look at layout, typography, animations, and UX features.
- Share examples with your designer for creative reference.
- Consider how admired features might suit your own users.
What Keywords Should I Target?
A beautiful site means little if no one can find it. SEO starts with keyword research—know what your audience is searching for. Optimise your content and structure around high-value terms. Visibility drives traffic, and traffic drives business.
- Use SEO tools to research industry-specific keywords.
- Identify top 3-5 terms with high volume and low competition.
- Plan pages around these keywords to improve rankings.
- Optimise meta tags, headers, and content for your chosen terms.
How Will the Website Be Maintained Post-Launch?
Don’t just think about the launch—think long-term. Every site needs updates, backups, and improvements over time. Know who’s responsible and what systems are in place. Good maintenance is what keeps your new website performing at its best.
- Decide who will be in charge of technical updates and content edits.
- Use a CMS that supports easy, secure updates.
- Plan regular SEO reviews and performance checks.
- Budget for ongoing hosting, support, and plugin renewals.
Conclusion
By answering these 17 questions before starting your redesign, you set a strong foundation for success. It’s not just about a fresh look—it’s about strategic decisions that drive growth.
Treat your redesign as a business opportunity, not just a design exercise, and the results will speak for themselves.

Author:
Mark Ford






