Time and Phases Involved in Website Redesign

Your product is solid. Your marketing strategy is on point. But your conversion rates are far from what you were hoping for. Wondering what went wrong? Chances are, your website is failing to make a lasting impression. 

Studies show that 94% of first impressions are design-related. If your website has a confusing layout, poor navigation, and is brimming with pop-ups, visitors are going to leave. And with them goes your potential to have a loyal customer. 

You see, every click away is a missed opportunity—one that your competitors might be quick to grab. Thankfully, this cruel twist of fate is completely unavoidable. With a website revamp, you can transform your plain website into a conversion powerhouse. 

That said, a redesign isn’t something you can jump into blindly. To make the process efficient and impactful, you need a clear roadmap. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key phases and timelines of a website redesign so you can plan each step with precision and purpose.

The first step of the process is what we call the discovery phase. 

Discovery Phase

Of course, time is of the essence in such projects. At Beetle Beetle, we work fast but never hastily. We take the time to deeply understand your product and, more importantly, how it solves an active business problem. 

This careful analysis sets the foundation for a redesign that isn’t just easy on the eyes but also quantifiably impactful.

This phase includes the following steps:

1. Understanding Your Goals

What is the purpose of the redesign? What’s your end goal here? Lead capture? Engagement? Conversions? Authority building? All of them and more? Your goals will set the foundation for every decision you make during the redesign. 

Without them, you risk wasting time and effort on changes that don’t serve your business. Tie each goal to a measurable outcome, such as increasing sign-ups or reducing bounce rates. This makes progress easy to track and evaluate.

2. Researching Your Audience and Competitors

You can’t sell if you don’t even know who you’re selling to, can you? Every high-converting website on the internet has one common denominator: their designs are tailored to their target audience. 

For example, a website targeting SaaS decision-makers prioritizes clean layouts and clear calls to action, while one targeting developers focuses on detailed technical documentation.

Your audience is the heart of your website. If you don’t understand their needs, preferences, and pain points, you are practically setting yourself up for failure. 

To identify your target market, we recommend using heatmap analysis and UX benchmarking to get a clear picture of how users interact with your site and where frustrations arise. 

First, locate your key touchpoints, such as landing pages, signup forms, or product demo requests. Then, observe how users move from point A to point B.

For instance, if a user wants to book a demo, how many clicks does it take? Are there any confusing steps? Eliminate all these friction points in the new design to create a seamless path to conversion. 

3. Competitor Analysis

Next, we will analyze competitor messaging. 

In this phase, you will be figuring out who your competitors are and even more importantly, what they are doing right. To show your customers that you are the real deal, you have to beat three types of competitors:

#1, the ones who are solving the same problems for the same set of customers in a different way. 

#2, the ones who are solving the same problems as you are but for a different set of customers. 

And finally, #3, your direct competitors, aka arch nemesis, aka companies who are solving the exact same problems for the exact same customers. 

Once you have gathered all the relevant information, it’s time to figure out how to reposition your product, i.e., differentiate yourself from your competitors. 

Once you successfully complete the discovery stage, it’s time to start planning your redesign strategy.

Strategy Phase

In this phase, we will focus on aligning your website’s purpose with measurable outcomes, solidifying your messaging, and structuring everything for optimal user experience. 

If the discovery phase is about gathering data, the strategy phase is all about using that data to shape a clear, effective design that hits all the right marks.

1. Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Before we proceed any further, establish your website’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These are the metrics you will use to measure the performance of your redesigned website. 

Set KPIs based on the goals you established in the discovery phase. Common KPIs include:

• Conversion Rate: Percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (e.g., sign-up, purchase).
• Bounce Rate: Percentage of visitors who leave after viewing only one page.
• Average Session Duration: How long visitors stay on your site.
• Pages per Session: Number of pages viewed during a visit.

Tracking these KPIs allows you to measure your website’s effectiveness and make data-driven decisions moving forward.

2. Define Messaging and Differentiation

The right messaging is the secret code to connecting with your audience. To stand out, you need to clearly communicate what sets you apart from your competitors. It’s not enough to say what you do—you need to articulate why you do it better than anyone else.

Analyze your competitors to identify gaps in their messaging. This helps you define your unique value proposition (UVP) and position your brand in a way that speaks directly to your audience. 

Key considerations:

• Value Proposition: What’s the most compelling reason someone should choose your product over others?
• Tone and Voice: Should your tone be formal, friendly, or casual?
• Problem-Solution Messaging: How does your product solve the pain points your audience faces?

Once you define your messaging and UVP, your website can deliver a clear, impactful message that resonates with visitors and sets you apart from your competitors.

3. Spruce up the CTAs

Every page on your website should have a purpose, and each purpose should contribute to your overall business goals.

Define a content strategy that includes clear and cleverly phrased (and positioned) calls to action (CTAs). The action could be downloading a resource, requesting a demo, or signing up for a newsletter.

Key considerations:

• CTA Placement: Where will CTAs appear on the page (header, footer, within the content)?
• Clear Messaging: The CTA must clearly communicate what action you want users to take.
• Content Hierarchy: Structure the content on your page so the most important details come first. Prioritize information by using headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to guide the user’s eye naturally to key CTAs.

4. Create Sitemaps and User Flows

Once you’ve defined your content and messaging, it’s time to focus on how users will interact with your site. Sitemaps and user flows help you create an intuitive user experience by mapping out how users navigate your site to achieve their goals.

A sitemap lays out the structure of your website—how pages are connected and how users move from one page to another. 

User flows, on the other hand, show the specific path users take to complete a goal (e.g., filling out a contact form or signing up for a trial). 

Key considerations:

• Sitemap Structure: Ensure your pages are organized logically, with easy access to key content.
• User Journey Mapping: Plan out how users will navigate from one page to another.
• Funnel Optimization: Streamline user flows to reduce friction and guide users smoothly through their journey.

5. Set Visual Language and Page Strategies

The visual design of your website is just as important as the content. Your visual language—the typography, colors, and overall layout—should reflect your brand and help guide the user experience.

Strive to establish a visual style guide that aligns with your messaging and brings cohesiveness across your site. 

Key considerations:

• Typography: Choose fonts that are readable and on-brand.
• Color Palette: Select a color scheme that evokes the right emotions and complements your brand identity.
• Visual Hierarchy: Use spacing, contrast, and size to guide users’ attention to the most important content.
• Images: Decide whether you’ll use photos, illustrations, or icons, and ensure they fit with your brand’s aesthetic.

P.S. If you’re looking to turn your website into a powerful expression of your brand identity. Beetle Beetle can help you. We work with top artists and illustrators who can create custom visuals that will perfectly match your brand’s core aesthetic. 

With the strategy mapping out of the way, it’s time to jump into the most critical phase of the redesign journey.

Design Phase

You’ve spent time understanding your audience, analyzing competitors, and mapping out a clear strategy. Now, it’s about transforming that into something tangible. 

1. Produce Mock-Ups and Prototypes

You need to visualize the layout before anything goes live. Create mock-ups and prototypes to see the design elements and layout in action without writing a single line of code. 

This is how you test concepts, visualize interactions, and catch issues early on. This way, you are essentially creating a “draft” of the site where you can experiment with different layouts, colors, and content positioning.

To produce effective mock-ups, focus on the core structure and flow first. Don't get bogged down in small details like font sizes or colors yet. Instead, think about how users will interact with the site.

Where will they click first? How does the navigation guide them? After finalizing your mock-up, convert it into a prototype—this allows you to simulate the user journey. 

Pro Tip: Use tools like Figma or Sketch to create high-fidelity prototypes that make it easier to simulate the real experience and gather feedback before diving into development.

2. Design Homepage and Subsequent Pages

When designing your homepage, always bear in mind its role as the first point of contact with visitors. This page needs to immediately communicate your value proposition and guide visitors to the next steps. 

Start by incorporating clear navigation, a compelling headline, and a strong call-to-action (CTA) that inspires action. From there, design the subsequent pages to ensure consistency in both structure and messaging.

Each page should be focused on a specific goal. For example, the product page should be designed to highlight key features and drive conversions, while the About Us focuses on building trust and brand authority. 

From a technical perspective, make sure to optimize each page for speed and mobile responsiveness. Pages should load within 2-3 seconds, and interactive elements like forms or buttons must be fully functional on all devices. 

🚨Important note: Please test your page loading speed after every major change you make. Even a three-second increment in loading time can increase your bounce rate by approx. 32%, according to Google. 

3. Create Wireframes and Text Content

Wireframes are simple, low-fidelity representations of your website’s structure and layout, focusing on where content, buttons, and features will sit on the page. 

The beauty of wireframes lies in their simplicity—they allow you to test the flow of content before committing to a high-fidelity design.

Along with wireframes, you’ll need to create text content that aligns with your messaging strategy. Every word on your site should have a purpose, from headlines to button text. 

Content should be concise, persuasive, and optimized for SEO. Use clear, action-oriented language in your calls to action and check if every page answers the primary question: "What’s in it for the user?" 

Work closely with content strategists to make sure your text is not only persuasive but also optimized for both user experience and search engines. 

Just a heads up: Feel free to give us a shout if you need a hand with SEO-optimized B2B content, website copy, or sales pages. 

Take your time to complete these critical steps. Once done, you are ready to move on to the most painstaking part of the process. 

Development Phase

Time to get your hands dirty! You’ve got your strategy and design all set—now you need to turn those concepts into actual working pages. 

1. Translate Prototypes to Templates 

Your prototypes are now ready to be translated into code. Use CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to turn static designs into dynamic templates. These tools are essential for bringing your design’s functionality and responsiveness to life. 

HTML structures the content, CSS styles the elements, and JavaScript adds interactivity. Aim to maintain visual consistency with the prototype while keeping the design fully functional across devices. 

Important: Pay close attention to details like button hover states, dynamic content loading, and responsive grids. Also, always test the site across multiple browsers and screen sizes to ensure everything looks and works as expected.

2. Implement Custom Blocks 

You want your team to easily edit and update content, right? Implement custom content blocks using a CMS (like WordPress, Webflow, or a custom-built solution). 

These blocks will allow your content team to manage things like blog posts, landing pages, or product updates on the fly. The blocks can range from simple text fields to more complex design elements like sliders or product galleries. 

3. Improve SEO

A stunning website means nothing if it’s slow, hard to find, or impossible for some users to access. You need to optimize both on-page and off-page SEO during the redesign to drive quality organic traffic to your site.

Here’s a quick website redesign SEO checklist to run through:

• Optimize images for faster load times and better ranking.
• Write clear, concise meta descriptions and title tags.
• Use keywords naturally in your content, headers, and URLs.
• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly for a better user experience.
• Build backlinks from reputable sources to increase site authority.

4. Improve Web Accesibility 

Thoughtful additions like keyboard navigation, text resizing, and descriptive image alt texts render your website usable for everyone, including individuals with mobility issues. 

It doesn’t matter if it’s required by law or not in your jurisdiction—accessibility is a must-have for all websites. Not only does it improve the overall usability of your site, but it also creates a more intuitive user experience. 

Basic accessibility features to include:

• Add descriptive alt text to all images to improve screen reader compatibility.
• Ensure high contrast ratios between text and backgrounds for easier readability.
• Implement keyboard navigation throughout your site for full user control.
• Use clear, hierarchical headings (H1, H2) and ARIA landmarks to structure content for screen readers.

5. CRM Integration

A Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) stores all your customer data, tracks user actions, and helps you streamline your sales process. 

Once all the other design elements are in place, connect your website to your CRM. Regardless of which CRM you pick - be it Salesforce, HubSpot, or another CRM, make sure your forms and contact data sync correctly. 

Work with your development team to ensure smooth integration and test it at least twice to avoid issues down the line. 

After successfully completing CRM integration, you are almost ready to go live. Just one last step before you reveal the pièce de résistance:

Testing and Launch Phase

This is where everything you’ve worked on comes together, and you ensure your site is fully functional, performs well, and delivers a seamless user experience. You’ve made it this far—don’t rush through these final steps. 

• Quality Assurance Test: Test your website’s speed and usability on mobile, tablet, and desktop. Pay attention to layout consistency, text alignment, and button functionality across all major browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. 
• Test forms, Links, and Interactivity: Check all forms, links, and buttons to confirm they lead to the right pages and submit data. Test interactive elements like sliders or pop-ups to make sure they work without issues. 
• Final Testing: Finally, do a last round of testing to double-check that everything is working as expected. Look for any broken links, missing images, or incorrect content. 

Once you’re confident everything is set, confirm that analytics and tracking codes are correctly implemented before going live.

If everything looks fine up to this point, go ahead and launch your redesigned website. Before we wrap up, here are some tips on ongoing maintenance to keep your website in top shape:

Ongoing Support and Optimization

Even the best websites aren’t immune to downtime. Technical glitches, server outages, scope creep - all these can sneak in anytime. Keep close tabs on your website throughout the year to avoid unexpected traffic loss and technical issues:

• Optimize Regularly: Monitor your website’s performance after launch. Fix any bugs or broken links you find and improve parts of the site that affect user experience. Regular optimization keeps your site working well.
• Monitor Performance: Watch out for key metrics like page speed, bounce rates, and user engagement. Make updates as needed to keep your site running efficiently and adapting to new trends or changes.
• Update SEO and Content: Keep your content fresh and relevant. Update your SEO strategy based on new trends and user behavior. Add new pages or blog posts to maintain visibility and improve search rankings.

If you would like to skip all these stages and jump straight into reaping the benefits of a well-executed redesign, think Beetle Beetle.

Revamp Your Website in Just 6 Weeks With Beetle Beetle

Redesigning a SaaS website for a B2B audience is a whole different ballgame from a general redesign. You have to consider factors like user intent, conversion optimization, and seamless integration with your CRM or other business tools. 

That’s not all. You need to demonstrate how your software solves specific business problems, often through detailed product features, use cases, and customer success stories.

All of these can be a lot to manage within a limited space while keeping it user-friendly.

If you’d like to outsource your project to a team of bonafide experts, we can help. At Beetle Beetle, we offer an end-to-end redesign service that covers customer research, design, development, and copywriting. 

We can help you rethink your positioning strategy, refine your messaging, and create an engaging brand that resonates with your users.

Count on our web designs to be as reliable as your product is. Hire Beetle Beetle today for website revamp.